KPC3459: 2480 won value (regular issue)

With a KRW 300 hike in stamp fees for registered mail from KRW 1,800 to KRW 2,100 on July 1, 2020, Korea Post is issuing a new KRW 2,480 stamp on September 23, 2020 featuring an image of the Earthenware Horn Cup in the Shape of a Warrior on Horseback (National Treasure No. 275).

The Earthenware Horn Cup in the Shape of a Warrior on Horseback is an earthenware that stands on a rectangular plate on top of a horn-shaped pedestal, depicting a warrior on horseback. At 23.2 cm in height, 14.7 cm in width, and 9.2 cm in diameter at the pedestal, the earthenware is believed to have been created during the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The body of the horse features a detailed horse armor made of rectangular plates, while a warrior armed with his combat helmet and armor sits on its back. Although the overall shape of the warrior is not clear, he holds a spear in his right hand and a shield in his left hand, and we can conjecture that he is wearing an armor given his neck cover and thigh cover. Compared to the Earthenware Funerary Objects in the Shape of a Warrior on Horseback (National Treasure No. 91) from Silla excavated from Geumnyeongchong Tomb in Gyeongju, the Earthenware Horn Cup in the Shape of a Warrior on Horseback better represents how a warrior was armed during the Three Kingdoms of Korea. A two-pronged horn-shaped cup extends from the horse’s back in a symmetrical manner. As the V-shaped horn cup is empty inside, the cup could have been used to fill up with alcohol or water, thought it seems that it was mostly used on special occasions.

The earthenware was donated to the Gyeongju National Museum’s collection by Dr. Lee Yang-sun (1916–1999; courtesy name: Gukeun), professor at the School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University. It is considered a valuable historical object for research on horse equipment and weapons of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the artifacts that best represent the extraordinary heritage of Korean pottery.