Sea, Cranes, and Peaches, early 20th century, Korean, colors on silk, gold leaf, 98 in. x 307 in. COURTESY DAYTON ART INSTITUTE

Much about the painting known as Sea, Cranes, and Peaches remains cloaked in mystery: the exact date of its creation, for one, as well as the identity of its maker and the occasion for its commission. But this much has become clear about the radiant work, with its conservation and restoration recently completed, it has lived a long, strange life, variously misunderstood, ignored, and admired.

The folding screen entitled Sea, Cranes and Peaches (a theme known as haehakbandodo in Korean) held in the collection of the Dayton Art Institute in the United States. The screen was purchased by Charles Goodrich in the 1920s to decorate his study and donated to the Dayton Art Institution after his death. The work was shown in Dayton for stretches, but its poor condition consigned it to storage in recent decades. However, in 2007, a University of Tokyo team photographed it for a book on Chinese paintings in the United States, which is where the Japanese researcher Misato Ido spotted it. He decided something was amiss. In 2017, Ido traveled to Dayton with the South Korean scholar Soojin Kim, and they examined the work. Based on its size, materials, technique, and iconography, the pair concluded that it originated not in Japan or China, but Korea. They dated it to around the end of the Joseon Dynasty in the early 20th century, suspecting it was associated with the ruling court. The work had been brought to Korea as a part of the Overseas Cultural Heritage Conservation and Utilization Support Project of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Haehakbandodo (海鶴蟠桃圖) refers to a type of painting that emphasizes the sea (海, hae), cranes (鶴, hak), and peaches (蟠桃, bando) among the motifs associated with sipjangsaengdo (十長生圖, paintings of the ten longevity symbols). The theme became popular in the royal court in the late Joseon era, and significant number of examples were produced for various state events, including the wedding ceremony of crown princes.

The work is currently on view at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul after extensive conservation efforts. The work can also be navigated online, but those stopping by in-person have been rewarded with a souvenir pastry that is shaped and painted to resemble (and that tastes remarkably like) a little peach.