Lamp Stand

This lamp stand was created for use in a traditional Korean interior, where people sit on carpets and cushions on the floor. It has an adjustable platform for a small oil lamp. If the user were working at a low desk, the lamp could be raised. If they reclined or were seated, perhaps doing embroidery or reading, it could be lowered.

The anonymous artisan who created the stand made the upright section in the shape of a dragon. Cleverly adapting form to function, the dragon’s ridged back and scaly belly create notched sections to support the lamp platform as it is adjusted up or down. The heavy base of the lamp is in the form of a mythical dragon-turtle, a symbol of longevity. On its back is a three-colored taegeuk (태극; 太極) motif, more familiar in its two-colored form as a symbol of the Chinese principles of yin and yang. Here, however, the three colors represent heaven, earth and humanity.