The 19th-century eight-panel folding screen, "Welcoming Banquet of the Governor of Pyeongan," is displayed at the Leeum Museum of Art in central Seoul, Monday, after undergoing an extensive 16-month restoration. Courtesy of OKCHF

In the year 1826, the governor of Pyeongan Province — now part of modern-day North Korea — hosted a grand banquet along the Taedong River to honor a new cohort of successful provincial examination candidates.

The resplendent event unfolded in a dazzling series of spectacles, from citywide processions and jubilant festivities to nighttime boat rides. Every moment was then meticulously captured in an eight-panel folding screen, with each panel depicting a different scene of the celebration in chronological order.

Notably, the presence of gold embellishments on musical instruments and ceremonial flags suggests that the piece was a commissioned work, likely created for a high-ranking government official during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Decades later, this 19th-century masterpiece left its homeland and, since 1927, has been housed in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts in the United States.

But time and distance took their toll. Stripped of its original mounting, the Joseon-era folding screen was reduced to eight separate panels with no clear way to determine their exact sequence, as they lacked inscriptions or identifying marks. The paintings themselves bore more than 10,000 holes from insect damage, while their surfaces suffered from deep creases, cracks and contamination.

The team at the Leeum Museum of Art's Korean paintings conservation laboratory, operated by the Samsung Foundation of Culture, undertook an extensive restoration of the eight-panel folding screen that lasted for 16 months from 2023 to 2025. Courtesy of OKCHF

That was the daunting challenge that awaited Nam Yu-mi, senior conservator at the Leeum Museum of Art's Korean paintings conservation laboratory, and her team in 2023.

"I've been in conservation for 25 years, but I've never seen this many holes in a single relic," she said. "Such significant insect damage is due to the bamboo paper backing that contained a large amount of rice starch. The starch was used to make the paper appear whiter and more opaque, thus enhancing the vibrancy of the pigments."

Over the next 16 months, her lab — operated by the Samsung Foundation of Culture — undertook an extensive restoration, consulting historical records and even satellite imagery of Pyongyang to ensure accuracy.

The result? The 5-meter-long "Welcoming Banquet of the Governor of Pyeongan," returned to its original sequence and format, now prominently exhibited at the Leeum Museum of Art.

A closer view of "Welcoming Banquet of the Governor of Pyeongan" on view at the Leeum Museum of Art / Yonhap

"This folding screen is almost like a genre painting that offers a glimpse into 19th-century Pyongyang and the lives of its people," noted Kim Jung-hee, chair of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF), at the press conference, Monday.

Its restoration was part of a joint initiative between the OKCHF and the Samsung Foundation of Culture, aimed at preserving, conserving and promoting Korean cultural treasures housed abroad.

Displayed alongside "Welcoming Banquet of the Governor of Pyeongan" is another artifact from the Peabody Essex Museum's collection that underwent a similar makeover — a "hwarot," or bridal robe.

The hwarot was a traditional wedding robe donned during the Joseon era. By the late 19th century, no longer reserved for royalty and aristocrats, it had become common among ordinary brides. Today, only about 50 examples of this garment survive worldwide.

Displayed alongside the folding screen is another artifact from the Peabody Essex Museum's collection that underwent a similar makeover — a 19th-century "hwarot," or bridal robe. Yonhap

Like many remaining hwarot, this embroidered robe shows signs of multiple repairs, indicating that it was worn and altered over time by different owners.

During its restoration at Dankook University's Seok Juseon Memorial Museum, conservators discovered that patches of scrap "hanji" (traditional Korean paper) had been previously applied to mend its sleeves. Some of these fragments contained a "chusugi" (autumn harvest record), while others were even identified as "nakbokji" — discarded answer sheets from unsuccessful candidates in the Joseon Dynasty's civil service examinations, also known as "gwageo."

Following their monthlong display at Leeum, which concludes on April 6, the two restored artifacts will be returned to the Peabody Essex Museum. There, they will take center stage in the museum's newly reopened Yu Kil-Chun Gallery of Korean Art and Culture, set to debut in May.

During its restoration, conservators discovered that patches of scrap "hanji" had been previously applied to mend the hwarot's sleeves. Some of these fragments contained a "chusugi" (autumn harvest record). Courtesy of OKCHF