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Cover : The ox wagon and maids featured on the Deokheung-ri ancient tomb mural

This is the painting of an ox wagon and maids on the northern wall of the burial chamber of the mural tomb in Deokheung-ri, South Pyeongan Province, North Korea. The burial chamber's northern wall features the portraits of the tomb's owner and his wife, except that the wife's portrait is empty. Supposedly, the wife was still alive at the time of painting the mural. To the left of the tomb owner's portrait, there are horses for the tomb owner and his chamberlains. To the right of the wife's empty portrait, there are her maids and an ox wagon.

To the right of the curtain, there are a total of nine maids. Two of them are married women with their hair up, wearing rainbow-striped pleated skirts. The remaining seven, judging from their hair tied up in two long ponytails and their white, narrow pleated skirts, appear to be young, unmarried women.

Between the two rows of the maids, there is an ox wagon driven by two chamberlains holding the ox by the reins. And the ox with big eyes and sharp horns is portrayed in detail. Ox wagons were the means of transportation for ancient noble women. The ox wagon in this mural comes with a special feature: an awning along the length of the wagon.

As they had their many chamberlains and various possessions painted on the walls of their tombs, the ancient people evidently hoped that they would continue to enjoy as much riches and honor in afterlife as they did in this life. People today might hope so, too.