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U.S. returns ancient Royal Seal of King Deokjong to S.Korea

Xinhua, April 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

The U.S.'s Seattle Art Museum (SAM) on Wednesday returned the Royal Seal of King Deokjong made in the ancient Joseon Dynasty to South Korea.

Royal seals from the Joseon Dynasty were created to commemorate royal rituals for dynastic family members such as kings and queens. After being elaborately carved, such royal seals were consecrated in the Jongmyo Shrine.

The Royal Seal of King Deokjong was carved in 1471 by his son King Seongjong in order to commemorate a certain royal ritual for King Deokjong, which represents the majesty and spirit of the Joseon royal court. The square base of the Royal Seal of King Deokjong is surmounted by a tortoise with realistically carved face.

A U.S. collector Thomas D. Stimson (deceased) purchased the seal from An art dealer in New York in 1962 and donated it to SAM in February, 1963 in memory of her husband.

"My grandmother believed that art connected people and helped us understand one another. She also believed that important works of art belonged in public hands for preservation and for all to enjoy and learn from. And certainly she felt that way about this important royal seal," said Frank Bayley, grandson of Stimson at the ceremony marking the return of the seal held at the National Palace Museum of South Korea in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon.

The Cultural Heritage Administration of South Korea(CHA) and SAM has discussed the seal's return from July to November in 2014. The two sides made joint announcement on the agreement of the seal 's return to South Korea in December, 2014. SAM voluntarily determined to return not only the seal to South Korea, but also a silk cord crafted by Kim Eun-Young, an important Seoul city cultural asset.

The CHA said this agreement between the CHA and SAM was made possible by ongoing discourse based on mutual respect and trust together with cultural understanding, as royal seals are a precious element of cultural heritage that symbolize the national dignity and pride of the people of South Korea.

It was reported that many Korean ancient royal seals and other objects of cultural heritage have been transferred from the Korean peninsula to overseas countries during the Korean War.

Kimerly Rorschach, director and CEO of SAM, said the SAM didn't know the history before Stimson bought the seal from the art dealer. But knowing that the seal was likely came out of South Korea in the same way, they all agreed that it was right and important to return it to South Korea as an important cultural heritage.

Last April, U.S. President Obama also returned nine ancient royal seals taken by a U.S. soldier during the Korean War six decades ago during his visit to South Korea. Endi