There is a black wooden chair with intricate carvings in the Korea gallery on the first floor of ROM. Two slender round arms curve forward, supported by vertical parts with carved decoration on the back. Strangely, the chair has no legs! The display board says it is a chair from one-wheeled carriage (choheon).
The chair is a rare surviving part of a choheon, that would have been lifted and carried by attendants. This is from the late 1700s. (It seems that the working people in Korea at that time were smarter than Chinese. The wheel under the sedan chair could save the bearers so much effort!)
The ornate design of the chair shows what a luxurious item it is. Its base is intricately carved on all four sides. The base at the front is painted with four lotus scenes. They are open wide with multi-layered pointed petals. The lotus symbolizes enlightenment. The side depicts three scenes of turtles with their heads and necks stretched upward. They are symbols of luck and longevity.
The back of the chair is carved with the sun, clouds and mountains, as well as two phoenixes symbolizing fortune, longevity and power. These scenes are surrounded by complex spiral scrolls.
The chair once rested on a large wheel that looked like a unicycle. Long horizontal rods on either side of the chair are pushed by six to nine people. A vehicle pushed or carried like this is also called a palanquin.
Who would have ridden in such a sedan? The color of the chair gives us a clue. It is black, which indicates that it was used by a high-ranking official. Royal chairs would have been red.