Lost Buddhist monk painting returned from US

“Dongakdangjaeindaesungsajinyoung,” a stolen 18th century portrait of a great Seon monk, was returned to Korea by a U.S. art collector last month. / Yonhap

By Baek Byung-yeul

A stolen 18th century Buddhist painting has been returned to Korea from a U.S. art collector, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Tuesday.

The CHA said as soon as it learned the painting was “Dongakdangjaeindaesungsajinyoung,” thought to have been created in 1738, it asked the collector last month donate it at no cost.

The administration said it shared the reclaiming process with the Jogye Order, the largest Buddhist order in Korea. The painting’s return is the greatest achievement between them since they signed a memorandum of understating (MOU) last October to cooperate on reclaiming stolen cultural artifacts.

The painting is 65 centimeters wide and 97 centimeters high. It is the portrait of a great Seon monk in the 18th century. It was presumed lost between the 1980s and 1990s while at the Seonam Temple in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province. The Jogye Order acknowledged the painting was stolen in 1999.

According to the CHA, the painting will be displayed at the Central Buddhist Museum in downtown Seoul on Tuesday and will be returned to the Seonam Temple.