Reproduction of the Royal Gift Banwha Presented by King Gojong to the French President Set to Begin

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center (Director Lee Jae-pil) of the Cultural Heritage Administration and the National Palace Museum of Korea (Director Jeong Yong-jae) will sign a sponsorship agreement for the preservation and utilization of royal cultural heritage with Amorepacific’s Sulwhasoo (Unit Head/Vice President Jeong Hye-jin) on August 13 at 11:00 AM at Deoksugung Palace Management Office in Seoul’s Jung-gu district.

The agreement focuses on:

Promoting the restoration and transmission of national heritage through sponsorship funds for royal cultural heritage.
Mutual cooperation to disseminate the results of research on royal cultural heritage.
The reproduction and special exhibition of Banwha and related collaborative efforts.
Banwha (盤花): Meaning flowers raised on a plate Banwha is an artificial floral decoration made by attaching flowers and leaves crafted from various jewels to a wooden structure.
As part of the agreement Amorepacific’s Sulwhasoo will donate 250 million KRW to the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the National Palace Museum of Korea. This sponsorship will be managed by the National Trust of Cultural Heritage (Chairman Kim Jong-kyu) and will be used to reproduce and promote the Banwha the only surviving example of Joseon royal bonsai craftsmanship.

Banwha was originally a commemorative gift sent by King Gojong (reigned 1864-1907) to French President Sadi Carnot (in office 1887-1894) to celebrate the establishment of diplomatic relations between Joseon and France in 1886. The original Banwha is currently housed in the Musée National des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet in France.

Initially the National Palace Museum of Korea planned to borrow and display the Banwha but due to the fragile nature of the artifact—comprising various jewels wood and metal—it was deemed too delicate for long-distance transport. As an alternative a reproduction will be created to showcase this rare and historically significant piece of Joseon royal craftsmanship which has remained largely unknown to the public.

The reproduction process will begin in earnest in 2025 with one pair (two pieces) each to be donated to the Deoksugung Palace Management Office and the National Palace Museum of Korea upon completion. The reproductions will be unveiled in 2026 coinciding with the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations. The reproduction will be crafted by Kim Young-hee a National Intangible Cultural Heritage holder in the craft of jade carving.

Okjang (옥장): The art of crafting various items and ornaments from jade or an artisan who possesses such skills.
This agreement holds significant meaning as it brings together the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the National Palace Museum of Korea—organizations dedicated to the management research and promotion of royal heritage—with a corporation committed to social contribution and a National Intangible Cultural Heritage holder to revive overseas royal heritage.

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the National Palace Museum of Korea will continue to actively collaborate with Amorepacific’s Sulwhasoo to widely promote the value of both tangible and intangible Joseon royal cultural heritage domestically and internationally while pursuing proactive measures to discover and highlight new royal heritage items.

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