The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism said Friday that it had successfully repatriated a 19th-century painting of Dokseong, or Hermit Sage, that had recently been put up for auction in Austria.

The painting of Dokseong, a Daoist deity who was absorbed into Korean shamanism and Buddhism, depicts Naban Jeonja–a, regarded as an enlightened practitioner liberated from the cycle of rebirth in Buddhist tradition, as an elderly man with white eyebrows sitting under a pine tree against a mountainous backdrop.

The Jogye Order discovered the artwork in overseas auction data provided by the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation in August.

It is not clear where the painting was initially enshrined because markings indicating the artist and date have been cut from the bottom of the work. 

However, the Jogye Order believes it was created in the 1860s and had a strong connection to the Hoguksa Temple in Jinju, established during the Goryeo Dynasty, as evidenced by inscriptions on the painting, such as “Jinju” and “Jinjuseong Fortress,” which refer to the temple's location.

The Jogye Order, together with the Hoguksa Temple, purchased the painting at auction. It is currently on display at the temple in South Gyeongsang Province.

It remains unclear why the painting was put up for auction, but the Jogye Order believes it was likely the property of Roger Chambard, who served as the first French ambassador to Korea from 1959 to 1969 and was deeply interested in Korean culture and Buddhism.