Immersive Exhibition of the Ten- Panel Fold Screen Seven Jeweled Mountain to Be Held in Both Korea and the U.S

- Exhibitions to Be Presented at the National Palace Museum of Korea (March 15–May 26) and the Cleveland Museum of Art (March 15–September 29) with Elevated Visitor Experience Provided by Actor Ryu Jun-yeol’s Voice-over Narration -

The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA; Administrator: Choi Eung-chon) and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF; Chair: Kim Jung-hee) are presenting a special exhibition entitled Into the Seven Jeweled Mountain: An Immersive Experience based on the ten-panel fold screen Seven Jeweled Mountain in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA; Director: William Griswold) in the U.S. The exhibition will be held in both the Special Exhibition Gallery at the National Palace Museum of Korea (March 15–May 26) and the Cleveland Museum of Art (March 15–September 29).
*Seven Jeweled Mountain: A ten-panel fold screen depicting the Seven Jeweled Mountain (Chilbosan in Korean) area on silk using ink and light colors (produced in the nineteenth century)
Dimensions: 185.2×460.0 cm (overall), 42.9×158.2 cm (each panel)

The ten-panel fold screen Seven Jeweled Mountain in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in the U.S. depicts a view of the Seven Jeweled Mountain area in Myeongcheon, North Hamgyeong Province. Seven Jeweled Mountain earned fame as a scenic spot in Bukgwan (present-day Hamgyeong Province) after Im Hyeong-su (1514–1547), an assistant prefect in Hoeryeong-bu, Hamgyeong Province, wrote “The Seven Jeweled Mountain Travelogue” (遊七寶山記) about his tour to the area in the March of 1542. This travelogue led to the popularization of artworks themed on the Seven Jeweled Mountain area during the Joseon Dynasty. The Cleveland screen is presumed to have been produced by an anonymous painter in the nineteenth century during the Joseon period.

* The Seven Jeweled Mountain Travelogue: This travelogue is included in Posthumous Works of Geumho (錦湖遺稿), a collection of literary works by Im Hyeong-su (sobriquet: Geumho) who served as a civil official in the early Joseon period. It is significant in that it records in detail the motivation behind Im’s trip, the people who accompanied him, the itinerary, and explanations and impressions of scenic spots on Seven Jeweled Mountain. It inspired a tradition of excursions to the mountain by naming its scenic spots

The screen Seven Jeweled Mountain is a large-scale folding screen depicting a view of Seven Jeweled Mountain with meticulous brushwork across ten joined panels. This format of using joined panels to create a single picture plane (yeonpok) was popular in the nineteenth century. The inscription (hwaje) in the upper section of the first panel relates the origin of the name Seven Jeweled Mountain. The names found throughout the peaks and rocks indicate scenic spots on Seven Jeweled Mountain, including Gaesimsa Temple, Hoesangdae Terrace, and Geumganggul Cave.

* Yeonpok: A format using an entire folding screen for a single composition. The lack of wooden frames dividing the screen panels gives the effect of a long horizontal canvas.
**Hwaje: The term refers to inscriptions written on paintings, including poems. The hwaje on the Ten-Fold Screen of the Seven Jeweled Mountain at the Cleveland Museum of Art document the introduction of Seven Jeweled Mountain contained in Collected Writings by Yakcheon (藥泉集) by Nam Gu-man(南九萬, 1629~1711)

The exhibition is timed to open in the Special Exhibition Gallery on the second floor of the National Palace Museum of Korea on March 15, the day Im Hyeong-su, the author of “The Seven Jeweled Mountain Travelogue,” embarked on a journey to the mountain to provide visitors with an opportunity to trace his experience. The exhibition at the National Palace Museum of Korea is comprised of a digital rendering of the folding screen with a zoom function for key scenic spots and 3D views of selected Korean cultural heritage items in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art will present the folding screen together with a digital immersive experience.
The exhibition will enhance viewer immersion through a large three-screen display five meters in height presenting changes in the time and weather of scenes, such as their appearance at night and in the day or in snow and rain. It strikes a harmony with impassioned voice-over narration by actor Ryu Jun-yeol and delicate music composed by Yang Bang-ean.

This exhibition is particularly meaningful as the first digital content project promoted by the CHA and OKCHF based on overseas Korean cultural heritage. Furthermore, it provides an example of the K-shared heritage that shares the value simultaneously in Korea and the United States.

*K-shared heritage: Overseas Korean cultural heritage that shares historical and cultural value with another country.

Starting with this exhibition, the CHA and OKCHF will do their utmost to support the creation of digital content focusing on Korean cultural heritage housed abroad and utilize it globally. The two organizations will continue to work tirelessly to share and promote the value of overseas Korean cultural heritage with a wider world.