Northeast Asian History Network

Eastern Wall of the Eastern Auxiliary Chamber - Kitchen

This is a detailed view of the kitchen structure depicted on the eastern wall of the eastern auxiliary chamber. Depictions of kitchens often appear in murals from early and mid-Koguryo era mural tombs. This example from Anak Tomb No. 3 is the only one that features details of the interior in addition to the building exterior. The standout feature of the kitchen exterior is the tiled gable roof. Only one wall featuring a doorway and a chimney is depicted on this open-type kitchen. This structure seems to have been built to allow people to access the interior from all directions for maximum convenience. Interestingly, the structure appears to become larger towards the back. Proper use of perspective would dictate that the front of an object appears larger as it gradually becomes smaller in the distance. In contrast, this depiction seems to have utilized a unique reverse perspective technique commonly seen in ancient artwork. In reverse perspective, distant objects are depicted larger to be clearly visible in a concept directly opposed to modern standards. A similar concept was also applied to various figures, and in ancient times, more significant figures were depicted to be larger regardless of actual size.