Dancheong
The multicoloured painted decoration on the wooden beams and eaves of Korean palaces and temples.
Also: Korean decorative painting
Dancheong literally means red and blue-green. It is the patterned painting, in green, red, blue, yellow, white and black, that covers the rafters, brackets and beams of traditional Korean buildings. The palette follows the five traditional colours. Besides being decorative, the paint protects the timber from weather and insects and hides flaws in the wood. Patterns of lotus flowers, clouds and geometric bands are transferred with pounced paper stencils and then filled in by hand. Its use was reserved for palaces, temples and other important buildings.