Korean Painting: The Tenth King of Hell Returns Home

The Met returns "The Tenth King of Hell," a Joseon-era painting from Sinheungsa Temple, illicitly taken during the Korean War era. Repatriation efforts continue for remaining panels. Korean art.

The paint, labelled The Tenth King of Hell, dates to 1798 and was made during the Joseon Empire. It’s one panel of a 10-part item referred to as Siwangdo previously sited at Sinheungsa Temple in Sokcho, the head temple of the Jogye Order of Oriental Buddhism. Each of the panels illustrates a king of the immortality.

The Tenth King of Hell: A Joseon Era Painting

The Met silently announced the return on its site, stating that the job is “thought to have actually been taken while the Temple was under the control of the United States Army during the Korean Battle.” The gallery said it had bought the painting in 2007.

“The Met has a long background of dealing with associates and establishments in Korea, and we look forward to proceeding our collaborative initiatives to boost the globe’s understanding and gratitude of the arts of Korea,” claimed Met supervisor Max Hollein in a declaration.

Illicit Removal During Korean War Era

According to the Yonhap information firm, the paint was “illicitly” drawn from the holy place in 1954. By that point, the Korean Battle had actually currently ended, though the United States remained to keep an existence in the nation. “A 1942 study by the Japanese government-general of Korea taped the painting’s presence at the holy place, and its presence is likewise documented in photos taken by united state armed forces policemans in between 1953 and 1954,” the news agency claimed.

Six of the panels of Siwangdo had already made it back to South Korea previously. All six of them were returned in 2020 by the Los Angeles County Gallery of Art, which functioned on the repatriation with the Jogye Order.

Past Repatriation Efforts and Provenance

According to a provenance on the gallery’s website, the Met bought the job from collection agency Robert Moore using an LLC signed up in the name of Michael C. Hughes, that now serves as head of Bonhams’s division for Chinese art. The Met said it had shown The Tenth King of Heck in presentations of its Korean art holdings in 2008 and 2012.

It’s one panel of a 10-part item recognized as Siwangdo previously sited at Sinheungsa Temple in Sokcho, the head holy place of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. “A 1942 survey by the Japanese government-general of Korea recorded the painting’s presence at the holy place, and its existence is additionally recorded in images taken by U.S. armed forces police officers between 1953 and 1954,” the news agency said.

“We are happy that the Tenth King of Heck has actually returned to its initial home. Our social heritage holds its best definition when it is in its rightful location,” claimed Lee Sang-rae, chairman of the Sokcho Board for the Return of Cultural Heritage, which serviced the repatriation alongside the holy place. “We will certainly proceed our initiatives to make certain that the staying three 10 Kings of the Underworld paintings still abroad can also return home.”

Commitment to Cultural Heritage Return

Our cultural heritage holds its greatest significance when it is in its rightful area,” said Lee Sang-rae, chairman of the Sokcho Board for the Return of Social Heritage, which functioned on the repatriation together with the temple.

The Met has actually indicated an enhanced readiness to collaborate with international countries to return artworks in its holdings. In 2023, the gallery released the Cultural Property Effort, which asks selected researchers to examine things in the collection with provenance concerns.