TITLE: 6 Great Crowns of Gongmangdo Wangguk
ARTIST: Collective Work of Ancient Artisans, Names Now Lost to History
YEAR: 668
TYPE: Golden Crowns for Ceremonial Use by Royals, Finely Bejeweled
OWNER: Hyeokjin People's Museum (혁진인민박물관), under the Worker's Commissariat of Education and Culture (교육문화 로동자위원)
LOCATION: Hyeokjin People's Museum, Hyeokjin Metropolitan City, Kyo Communist Councilist Republic, Union of Communist Councilist Republics
EVALUATION: Worth Roughly $54,000,000-$100,000,000 Collectively
OVERVIEW: 6 crowns, all made in the year 668, were crafted for ceremonial - but not daily wear - of the Bae Hwangshil (House of Bae), the ruling dynasty of the Gongmangdo Kingdom, often considered the first polity on the Kyo Peninsula. It is believed Baekgu the Great wore the Geumijeom Crown (pictured furthest bottom-right) at the reunification rite that would unite the Kyo Peninsula under the banner of the Baenara, often translated as Baekgu Dynasty.
All come in 3 main pieces, a golden inner-cap, a decorated outer crown (pictured), and jade-studded chains of gold hanging beneath. The crowns show exquisite craftsmanship for the era, with gold purity ranging from 13 to 24 carats depending on the crown. Jade ornaments and other precious stones cover 5 out of 6 crowns. The gold-work is decorated with shapes and carvings that evoke swans, dragons, phenoxies, taegeuks, and other auspicious symbols of the era.
The crowns were excavated by Kyo archeologists in the year 3613, switching ownership between private groups, chaebol, and museums, but ultimately falling into state hands following the August Revolution of 4929. They are currently kept together and displayed prominently in the same room at the Hyeokjin People's Museum, where, as the name implies, anyone is allowed to see them during museum hours.