The restored ”Preaching Buddha” is to be on a public display at the National Museum of Korea from November 21^st, 2006 to January 7^th, 2007, before going back to the Seattle Art Museum in the U.S. The Buddhist painting from the Joseon dynasty (late 17^th – early 18^th) went through conservation treatment processes for almost a year after being selected as the first object to receive supports from the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH) of Korea in 2005, under the NRICH’s project to identify Korean cultural objects in the possession of foreign museums. The NRICH selects one item from those identified to give financial supports for its conservation treatment based on the academic value and status of the object concerned. The project aims to encourage foreign museums to actively engage in the promotion of the Korean artifacts in their possession and, in a broader perspective, the Korean culture.

The “Preaching Buddha” of the Seattle Art Museum had been laid aside in a storage room for almost six decades before then newly-appointed curator Yukiko Shirahara found it and raised the need for conservation treatment in 2002. While seeking for financial assistance in the restoration from the Korean community in the U.S., the Seattle Art Museum applied for the NRICH’s support project. The two organizations signed the “Arrangement on Support for Conservation Treatment” in December 2005.
 
The Arrangement specifies that the beneficiary museum will widely promote the Korean culture by holding exhibitions at home and abroad and academic seminars once the restoration is completed, and this time’s exhibition of the “Preaching Buddha” takes place in accordance with the Arrangement. Dr. Park Chi-Sun, the Chief conservator of the Jung-Jae Conservation Center in Seoul and professor at Yongin University, was in charge of the restoration. During the restoration processes, individuals, locals and foreigners alike, also offered help.

The NRICH will continue the project and enhance exchanges with foreign museums in order to raise the image of the Korean culture in foreign countries and to lay the foundations of its wider promotion.

※ Seattle Art Museum
While the collections of the museum number approximately 23,000 objects, the number of Korean artifacts amounts to over 230. The Korean gallery opened in 1992 and displays various artifacts such as folding screens and ceramics.

※ “Preaching Buddha”
This object belongs to the Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection. Eugene Fuller founded the Seattle Art Museum and was a famous arts patron from the northwestern region of the U.S. He purchased the Buddhist painting through Japan in 1940s.