Cloud

Clouds are the most common motif in Korean ornament because they mean the sky itself — the realm of heaven, immortals and rain. A dragon, a phoenix or a crane is almost never shown without them, and a scattering of small clouds turns any background into a celestial one. The scroll cloud with a curled head, called the ruyi or 'as-you-wish' cloud, also carries a wish that everything should go as hoped.

In dancheong, the painted decoration of palace and temple woodwork, cloud bands run along beams and cloud heads finish the ends of brackets. Goryeo celadon scattered clouds among cranes; Joseon rank badges set the animal on a ground of clouds and waves; and cloud roundels — a cluster of puffs closed into a disc — were woven into court silks.

Vol.04 is largely a cloud library: forty motifs in three registers (medallions, loose scrolls, border bands). Because a cloud has no fixed size or orientation it is the most forgiving motif to scale, mirror and scatter — ideal for endpapers, packaging backgrounds and app wallpapers.