'Gosainmuldo' Brought During the Last Joseon Tongsinsa Mission
Returned to Homeland in 2008 After 197 Years
Reported After 4 Years of Theft, Investigation and Tip-Offs Requested
Authorities have launched an investigation following a report that a painting by Hyewon Shin Yun-bok (1758??), which had attracted attention after returning to Korea from Japan for the first time in about 200 years, has gone missing.
Hye-won Shin Yun-bok's 'Gosainmuldo', reported stolen. [Photo provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration]
According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on the 17th, the Huam Future Research Institute, a non-profit organization that owned Shin Yun-bok’s painting 'Gosainmuldos' (Stories of Historical Figures), recently reported the painting missing and filed a theft report with the Jongno District Office in Seoul.
'Gosainmuldos' refers to paintings depicting anecdotes related to figures from mythology or history. The painting in question portrays the story of 'Chiljong Chilgeum (Seven Captures and Seven Releases),' in which Zhuge Liang from the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' captures Meng Huo, the king of the southern barbarian state, seven times, releasing him each time and eventually making him a loyal subordinate. There is a handwritten inscription in the upper right corner stating, "Drawn by Hyewon of Joseon."
This painting is believed to have been brought to Japan during the last Joseon Tongsinsa (Joseon diplomatic mission) dispatched in 1811. It was also exhibited at the National Palace Museum of Korea in 2015 during the exhibition titled 'Joseon Tongsinsa Seen Through Paintings.'
At that time, the museum explained, "It appears that Pi Jong-jeong, a maternal relative of Shin Yun-bok, requested the painting from him and took it to Japan," introducing it as one of the representative artworks that traveled between the two countries through the Joseon Tongsinsa.
The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "This is a painting by Shin Yun-bok from 1811, which was purchased by a private individual from a Japanese collector in 2008 and returned to Korea from Japan after 197 years."
The artwork attracted attention when it was put up for auction around 2008, as Shin Yun-bok’s works rarely come to market. It was listed with an estimated price of 400 to 500 million KRW but failed to sell. The failure to sell was analyzed as a consequence of the economic downturn.
The Huam Future Research Institute, which had owned the painting, believes it was stolen between 2019 and 2020. They reported to the local government and the Cultural Heritage Administration, explaining, "The painting, in scroll form, was stored rolled up in a paulownia wood box, but during office reorganization in January 2020, we confirmed that the item was missing."
The institute requested a police investigation, but it is reported that the painting’s whereabouts have not been confirmed.
About four years later, they recently filed a theft report through the Jongno District Office, and the Cultural Heritage Administration disclosed this information via the 'Stolen National Heritage Information' section on their website. The administration plans to check with the antique art industry and major trading markets and verify any information related to the painting through tips.
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