By Baek Byung-yeul
The Jogye order, the largest Buddhist order in Korea, said Wednesday that it has retrieved 48 stolen Buddhist artifacts.
"We have collected these stolen Buddhist cultural assets which once belonged to affiliated temples with the help from related government organizations including the National Police Agency (NPA) and the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA)," an official from the order said.
"Most items we collected this year are from art auctions. Thanks to the CHA, we could obtain the list of what was up for auction. After we confirmed that those items on the list were once stolen, we could collect them from the auction company with the help of the NPA."
The order added that it will display the 48 items comprised of paintings, sculptures and craftwork on Wednesday and Thursday at the Memorial Hall for the History and Culture of Korean Buddhism in Jongno, central Seoul.
Considering their great historic value, the order added that displaying them has significant meaning.
"Through making public these items, we would like to arouse the seriousness of art theft in addition to letting more people know the beauty of Korea's Buddhist artifacts," the official said.
Most of the artifacts are believed to have been made during the Joseon Kingdom period (1392-1910). A noteworthy one is the Buddhist scroll "Painting of the Vulture Peak Assembly," which originally belonged to the Daebisa Temple in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, but was stolen in 1988. The painting, believed to date to 1686, depicts a Buddha sermonizing.
The Jogye order stressed that it will keep working with the government agencies to prevent art theft and construct a more cooperative process with them in reclaiming lost Buddhist artifacts.
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| The Buddhist painting, "Painting of the Vulture Peak Assembly," believed to be made in 1686 / Courtesy of Jogye Order |
"We have collected these stolen Buddhist cultural assets which once belonged to affiliated temples with the help from related government organizations including the National Police Agency (NPA) and the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA)," an official from the order said.
"Most items we collected this year are from art auctions. Thanks to the CHA, we could obtain the list of what was up for auction. After we confirmed that those items on the list were once stolen, we could collect them from the auction company with the help of the NPA."
The order added that it will display the 48 items comprised of paintings, sculptures and craftwork on Wednesday and Thursday at the Memorial Hall for the History and Culture of Korean Buddhism in Jongno, central Seoul.
Considering their great historic value, the order added that displaying them has significant meaning.
"Through making public these items, we would like to arouse the seriousness of art theft in addition to letting more people know the beauty of Korea's Buddhist artifacts," the official said.
Most of the artifacts are believed to have been made during the Joseon Kingdom period (1392-1910). A noteworthy one is the Buddhist scroll "Painting of the Vulture Peak Assembly," which originally belonged to the Daebisa Temple in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, but was stolen in 1988. The painting, believed to date to 1686, depicts a Buddha sermonizing.
The Jogye order stressed that it will keep working with the government agencies to prevent art theft and construct a more cooperative process with them in reclaiming lost Buddhist artifacts.
