After the Korean War, encountering repatriated paintings taken from Buddhist temples

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has returned an 18th-century painting that once depicted a giant scene of hell to a Korean temple.

The title of this painting is The Tenth King of Helldates from 1798 and was made during the Joseon Dynasty. It is a panel consisting of 10 parts called Shiwangdo Island The original site is located at Xingheungsa Temple in Sokcho, which is the main temple of the Jogye Sect of Korean Buddhism. Each panel depicts a king in the afterlife.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the painting was “illegally” taken from the temple in 1954. By then, the Korean War had ended, although the United States continued to maintain a presence in the country. “A 1942 survey by the Japanese Governor-General in Korea documented the painting’s presence in the temple, and its presence was also documented in photographs taken by U.S. military officers between 1953 and 1954,” the news agency said.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art quietly announced the return on its website, saying the work was “believed to have been taken when the temple was under the control of U.S. forces during the Korean War.” The museum said it purchased the painting in 2007.

The Met purchased the work from collector Robert Moore through a limited liability company registered in the name of Michael C. Hughes, now head of Bonhams’ Chinese art department, according to sources on the museum’s website. The Metropolitan Museum of Art said it had indicated The Tenth King of Hell Introducing its Korean art assets in 2008 and 2012.

“The Met has a long history of collaboration with Korean colleagues and institutions, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to advance the world’s understanding and appreciation of Korean art,” Max Hollein, director of the Met, said in a statement.

six panels Shiwangdo Island I have returned to Korea before. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in conjunction with the Caoxi Society, was responsible for the return and returned all six works in 2020. The works were “believed to have been looted by U.S. Army personnel during the Korean War,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art said at the time. According to Yonhap News Agency, the remaining three parts are still abroad.

“We are happy The tenth king of hell Have returned to my original home. Our cultural heritage has the greatest significance only when it is in its rightful place,” Lee Sang-rae, chairman of the Sokcho Cultural Heritage Restitution Committee, which is responsible for the temple’s return. “We will continue our efforts to ensure that the remaining three “Ten Kings of Hell” paintings that are still abroad can also be returned to the motherland. ”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has said it is increasingly willing to work with foreign countries to return art in its possession. In 2023, the museum launched a cultural property initiative, requiring designated researchers to review items in the collection with questionable provenance.

The Met’s recently reopened Rockefeller Wing displays artworks from Africa, Oceania, and ancient America, with provenance information in the galleries. However, some say gestures alone are not enough.