Rare shamanic paintings gain national heritage status

"Sambulsa Halmoni" (grandmother deity of Sambulsa), a shamanistic painting from the Geumseongdang collection of the the Eunpyeong History & Hanok Museum in Seoul / Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

Korea has officially designated a rare set of 19th-century shamanic paintings as National Folklore Cultural Heritage, honoring a vibrant religious tradition that historically thrived on the fringes of the peninsula's rigid social hierarchies.

The collection, known as the Seoul Geumseongdang Mushindo, consists of eight hanging silk scrolls originally housed inside the Geumseongdang shrine in Seoul. The paintings depict an array of deities governing human destiny, including the blind Taoist, the goddess of smallpox and the patron spirit of musicians.

While Korea is celebrated as a high-tech powerhouse, its ancient animistic and shamanic roots remain deeply woven into the country's cultural fabric. For centuries, "mushindo", a genre of shamanic paintings, served as portals for the spirits during "the intense, ecstatic rituals performed by shamans to cure illnesses, pacify malevolent ghosts and bring good fortune.

According to the National Heritage Administration, which announced the designation Tuesday, these specific paintings hold immense historical weight because of their indisputable link to an active, registered ritual site. Most artifacts of this nature were destroyed or lost during 20th-century modernization drives, so the provenance of these paintings is exceptional.

The scrolls are also an artistic anomaly.

Scientific pigment analysis confirmed they were crafted in the late 19th century using a mix of traditional and modern synthetic dyes. Experts note that the refined use of shading, the intricately detailed patterns and the deities’ plump faces and elegant fingers suggest they were likely painted by professional Buddhist artists — a rare crossover revealing that elite religious painters also lent their talents to folk arts and religions.

Currently housed at the Eunpyeong History Hanok Museum in northwestern Seoul, the eight paintings will now receive state funds for preservation.

"These paintings possess deep authenticity because they actively bore witness to centuries of lived rituals," a spokesperson for the National Heritage Administration said. "They represent a multidimensional heritage where the tangible artistry of painting blends seamlessly with the intangible history of Korean folk belief."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.