A Korean Buddhist painting, Sinjungdo, which was illegally exported overseas, has been recovered from Germany.
On Sept. 2, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and Magoksa Temple, the head temple of the order’s 6th district led by Chief Monk Won-gyeong, announced that they had successfully repurchased Sinjungdo from an auction in Germany and returned it to Korea.
Monk Yak-hyo, born in 1879, is a leading figure of modern Korean Buddhist painting, having created more than 100 works, including the Seokga Seolbeopdo at Bongnyeongsa Temple. He resided at Magoksa Temple for much of his career, producing numerous Buddhist paintings. Today, 17 of his works are preserved at Magoksa.
The Jogye Order explained that they identified Sinjungdo on the auction block through monitoring data on overseas Korean cultural heritage provided by the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. After confirming the painting’s availability, they coordinated with Magoksa Temple, the head temple of Boseoksa, to bid on the painting.
Sinjungdo, which was brought back to Korea on Aug. 21, is currently being preserved at the Seongbo Museum of Magoksa Temple.