Seoul Museum of History Restores Original Form of 'Seongjemyo Mushindo - Portrait of Guan Yu and Wife'

Created in the late 19th century at the peak of Guan Yu worship... Underwent scientific preservation treatment for one year

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Museum of History announced on the 15th that it has completed the restoration of the Seoul Metropolitan City Tangible Cultural Property No. 403, ‘Seongjemyo Mushindo? Portrait of Guan Yu and His Wife (聖帝廟 巫神圖?關雲長 夫婦 肖像),’ to its original form at the time of creation after a year-long scientific preservation process, starting with a detailed investigation.

‘Seongjemyo Mushindo? Portrait of Guan Yu and His Wife’ is one of the Mushindo paintings that were housed in Seongjemyo, the shrine of Guan Yu (Gwan-u) located in Bangsan-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. It is a valuable artifact presumed to have been painted by a royal court painter in the late 19th century, when Guan Yu worship reached its peak.

There are a total of 10 Seongjemyo Mushindo paintings, which were designated as Seoul Metropolitan City Tangible Cultural Property No. 403 in 2017 and transferred to the Seoul Museum of History in 2018. The Seoul Museum of History conducted a detailed investigation of the preservation status of the Seongjemyo Mushindo in 2019 to establish a long-term preservation management plan and compiled the results into a database.

The Guan Yu paintings from the late 19th to early 20th century, when state-led Guan Yu worship was at its height, number around 10 pieces. The ‘Seongjemyo Mushindo? Portrait of Guan Yu and His Wife’ recently unveiled by the Seoul Museum of History depicts Guan Yu with a red face, long beard, and elongated eyes, set against the backdrop of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks painting (Ilwolobongdo). He is shown wearing an ikseongwan (a traditional Korean official hat) and a red dragon robe, alongside his wife in the same painting. The image reflects a Joseon-style Guan Yu figure embodying the image of a Joseon king, notable for its unique composition and vivid coloring techniques. The ‘Seongjemyo Mushindo? Portrait of Guan Yu and His Wife’ held by the Seoul Museum of History is a valuable artifact with significant ethnological and art historical value for understanding Joseon-era Guan Yu worship Mushindo paintings.

‘Seongjemyo Mushindo? Portrait of Guan Yu and His Wife’ is a hanging scroll painted with natural pigments on paper. At the time of acquisition, the paper showed signs of acidification and many horizontal creases, along with stains from contaminants, candle wax adhesion, and lifting caused by weakened adhesives. In particular, part of the mounting was damaged, requiring urgent preservation treatment and restoration to its original form at the time of creation.

Considering the characteristics of the painted artifact ‘Seongjemyo Mushindo? Portrait of Guan Yu and His Wife,’ the restoration proceeded based on scientific investigations and analyses including pigment analysis, material analysis, and study of production methods. The pigment analysis revealed that although the painting is somewhat lower in rank among Mushindo paintings, high-quality pigments such as malachite and azurite were used in the coloring materials. The use of these top-grade pigments confirms that it was indeed painted by a royal court painter, not just presumed.

Kim Yong-seok, director of the Seoul Museum of History, said, “The restored ‘Seongjemyo Mushindo? Portrait of Guan Yu and His Wife’ is a highly valuable artifact for understanding Joseon-era Guan Yu worship, and we were able to confirm important historical information such as the coloring materials used at the time. We will establish long-term preservation management plans for important artifacts held by the Seoul Museum of History using scientific methods and proceed with preservation treatments step by step.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.