Hwagak, a craft making decorative use of ox horn, is a technique unique to Joseon. The back sides of thinly sliced sheets of ox horn are painted and then attached to the surface of wooden furniture. The technique is presumed to have originated from the practice of painting the rear sides of sea turtle shells. The hwagak technique was used to add primary colors and decoration to products used by women, including combs and furniture intended for women’s quarters. This box is adorned with an ox-horn painting of imaginary creatures. Mythical animals and wild beasts like dragons, tigers, haetae (a mythical lion), and elephants join auspicious symbols such as young boys and peonies on separate ox-horn sheets that are assembled later. The red color applied to the backgrounds of these ox-horn sheets not only brightens the case, but is thought to ward off evil spirits. This hwagak box embodies Joseon women’s longing for beauty and a peaceful life.