The Metropolitan Museum of Art has returned an 18th-century portray to a Korean temple that when housed an unlimited depiction of hell.
The portray, titled The Tenth King of Hell, dates to 1798 and was made in the course of the Joseon Dynasty. It’s one panel of a 10-part piece referred to as Siwangdo previously sited at Sinheungsa Temple in Sokcho, the top temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Every of the panels depicts a king of the afterlife.
According to the Yonhap news agency, the portray was “illicitly” taken from the temple in 1954. By that time, the Korean Warfare had already ended, although the US continued to keep up a presence within the nation. “A 1942 survey by the Japanese government-general of Korea recorded the portray’s presence on the temple, and its existence can also be documented in photographs taken by U.S. navy officers between 1953 and 1954,” the information company stated.
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The Met quietly announced the return on its web site, saying that the work is “believed to have been taken whereas the Temple was beneath the management of america Military in the course of the Korean Warfare.” The museum stated it had bought the portray in 2007.
Based on a provenance on the museum’s website, the Met purchased the work from collector Robert Moore through an LLC registered within the identify of Michael C. Hughes, who now serves as head of Bonhams’s division for Chinese language artwork. The Met stated it had proven The Tenth King of Hell in shows of its Korean artwork holdings in 2008 and 2012.
“The Met has an extended historical past of working with colleagues and establishments in Korea, and we look ahead to persevering with our collaborative efforts to boost the world’s understanding and appreciation of the humanities of Korea,” stated Met director Max Hollein in an announcement.
Six of the panels of Siwangdo had already made it again to South Korea beforehand. All six of them had been returned in 2020 by the Los Angeles County Museum of Artwork, which labored on the repatriation with the Jogye Order. LACMA stated on the time that the works had been “believed to have been looted by United States Military personnel in the course of the Korean Warfare.” The remaining three components are nonetheless overseas, based on Yonhap.
“We’re delighted that the Tenth King of Hell has returned to its authentic house. Our cultural heritage holds its best which means when it’s in its rightful place,” stated Lee Sang-rae, chairman of the Sokcho Committee for the Return of Cultural Heritage, which labored on the repatriation alongside the temple. “We’ll proceed our efforts to make sure that the remaining three Ten Kings of the Underworld work nonetheless overseas can even return house.”
The Tenth King of Hell, 1798.
Metropolitan Museum of Artwork
The Met has indicated an elevated willingness to work with international nations to return artworks in its holdings. In 2023, the museum launched the Cultural Property Initiative, which asks appointed researchers to assessment objects within the assortment with provenance points.
In its recently reopened Rockefeller Wing for artwork from Africa, Oceania, and the traditional Americas, the Met makes provenance data obtainable throughout the galleries. Some have stated that gesture is not enough, nevertheless.
