Ten Symbols of Longevity and Late Joseon Korean Culture

The JSMA is proud to unveil our recently conserved Ten Symbols of Longevity screen along with a selection of Korean objects spanning the 19th and 20th centuries. This rotation features a number of court and Buddhist paintings and textiles, prints of traditional Korean subjects by Scottish artist Elizabeth Keith (1887–1956), and a few contemporary works. The museum’s famous Ten Symbols screen was commissioned in 1879 to celebrate the recovery from smallpox of Crown Prince Yi Cheok (Sunjong,1874–1926), the final ruler of the Joseon dynasty (1310–1926). This vibrant painting of auspicious landscape, floral, and animal motifs bears the names of its many court patrons and was recently conserved through a generous grant from the Korean National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (KNRICH).The JSMA is deeply indebted to the KNRICH for their support of this project as well as to master conservator SONG Jeongju and the staff of her Gochang Conservation Institute for bringing the screen back to its original glory. This is the first showing of the painting since its return from Korea, where it was the centerpiece of a special exhibition at the National Palace Museum.