• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.18
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• pp.35-50
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• 2017

As part of the NMK's research project on wooden Buddha statues, four items which contained fabric among their bokjang objects(腹藏物) were investigated. Firstly, when classified by the method of weaving, two items made of ra (羅, a four-end complex gauze) silk and five of neung(綾, twill damask) silk from the Goryeo era were identified, and the satin fabrics showing characteristics of the Joseon period were classified as either dan(緞, satin damask) or sa(紗, simple gauze). In particular, the fabric of the bokjang objects enshrined within the gilt-bronze Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva(Deoksu 801) feature both early and late Joseon characteristics, suggesting that two enshrinements were performed(once in the fifteenth century and another in the seventeenth). Secondly, the patterns on the fabrics included flowers, treasures, fruits, plants with animals, and landscapes with clouds. Thirdly, patches of fabric were found that are assumed to be related with all cardinal directions according to their arrangement, albeit in small quantities.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.24
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• pp.75-80
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• 2020

X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT), which is often applied to the investigation of the interior structures of cultural properties, is very useful for studying production methods used in lacquerware that would otherwise be difficult to observe with the naked eye. Lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl is an important subject in the study of traditional Korean craft. However, it can be a challenge to specify the production methods used in the framework of a lacquerware item unless the object has been structurally damaged. Studies of lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl have thus far focused on the techniques of lacquering and of inlaying the mother-of-pearl. Production methods for the framework of lacquerware has received little academic attention. This study conducted X-ray CT on a lacquerware item from the Joseon period to reveal the materials and woodworking techniques used for the framework. The study revealed that softwood was used for the framework, and the post (gidungmok) and apron (soemok) were joined using a three-way miter joint (sambang yeongwi jjaim). Other pieces were joined with nails.

• The Korean Publising Journal, Monthly
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• s.2
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• pp.24-26
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• 1987

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.248-259
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• 2016

This study covers museum rest areas among the methods that reduce museum fatigue. The subjects of the study were Seoul branch of the representative National Museum of Contemporary Art and National Museum of Korea. These museums were compared and analyzed with The National Art Center of Tokyo and Tokyo National Museum. The first research step was the analysis of museums' floor plan, and the second step was the tracing survey of visitors' movement. The result of this study was as follows. The National Art Center of Tokyo and Tokyo National Museum had the rest space within the visitors' route along with good viewing areas. National Museum of Korea had poor viewing area even though there was the rest space withing the visitors' route. Lastly, Seoul branch of National Museum of Contemporary Art had the rest space out of visitors' route along with poor viewing areas. This study is meaningful in that it provided guidelines for museum space plan with visitors' route considered, so that their museum fatigue can be relieved along with the guideline that can be applied to space elements of rest space.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.9
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• pp.105-116
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• 2008

The Conservation Science Team of National Museum of Korea has established the data base of lead isotope ratio as the scientific research of bronze patina, which was acquired from conservtion process of metal objects, and based on this result, it intends to conduct the research related to the origin of raw material for the bronze objects. As the equipment for analysis of lead isotope ratio of the bronze patina, the thermal ionization mass spectrometer(TIMS) was used. As a part of this study, in 2nd year 2008, lead isotope ratios of total 18 samples inclding 2 samples of Round-type gold-bronze belong to Baekje period, the 2 items of head of bronze arrow belong to Nangnang(Lelang) and 10 items of the flower-shaped bronze dishes from the Unified Silla period, the 4 items of the bronze patina from the objects(era of 1 item not identified) of Wonpungtongbo(year 1078-North Sung) were analyzed.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.20
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• pp.61-76
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• 2018

The National Museum of Korea conducted conservation treatmenton the armor in its collection for the purposes of public display and appropriate preservation. This was preceded by a literature study on the types and features of the armor in order to collect basic data for secure and accurate conservation treatment. The literature study found that during the Joseon dynasty, armor was named in reflection of precise details including the color, material, status of the wearer, and even the certain parts of a suit of armor. In general, the name of armor includes the details in the order of color, underlying textile, and scale material (e.g., iron, leather). The former part of the name presents the features of the garment and the latter part refers to the material of the scales or the status of the wearer. The study also found that main materials used in armor include textiles, leather, and metal, and armor can be classified by the materials of the scales-e.g., metal armor (鐵甲), leather armor (皮甲), paper armor (紙甲), paper-and-fabric armor (淹心甲), silk armor (緞甲). Joseon-period armor can also be classified into four types according to its structure and the method of wearing, and overcoat(袍)-style armor was the most widely used in the period following the Japanese Invasion of Joseon (1592-1598) through the late nineteenth~early twentieth century. Overcoat-style armor was commonly worn by infantry, and the four examples of armor with leather scales at the National Museum of Korea belong to this category.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.25
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• pp.1-8
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• 2021

This study investigated White Porcelain Water Dropper with Openwork Lotus Scroll Design and Eight Trigram Design in Cobalt-blue Underglaze (hereinafter, the "water dropper") in the collection of the National Museum of Korea using computed tomography (CT). A replica was produced to examine both the structure and its original production method. The CT scanning identified no joint lines or pores in the clay, which suggests that the body (the lower part of the water dropper) was shaped in a single piece using a mold and was then matched with a mold-formed lid (the upper part of the water dropper). The inner container of the body portion was roughly trimmed with a bamboo knife so that its upper surface could be securely attached to the bottom of the lid and prevent any leakage in the joined surface. It appears that the inner container for storing water was made first in a cylindrical shape that met the unit of quantity used at the time and could be easily formed by molding. It was transformed into a trapezoid shape during the process of combining it with the lid. A cylindrical inner container was reproduced using silicon 3D printing to compare its capacity with that of the original inner container. The comparison revealed that the reproduced container had a capacity of 152.5㎖, whereas the original container holds approximately 168.6㎖, a figure similar to three hop (around 174㎖) in Joseon-period units of quantity. Since the capacity of the cylindrical inner container corresponds to a known measure from the late Joseon dynasty, it is likely that the water dropper was originally produced to contain a cylindrical inner container.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.29
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• pp.81-98
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• 2023

This study was conducted to examine the effect of the light source for the media facade of the 10-story Gyeongcheonsa Stone Pagoda on the pagoda's restoration materials. To restore the pagoda, two types of epoxy resin-L-30, Araldite (AW106, and HV953U)-were used, and the photostability of the restoration materials and the acceptable lighting irradiation time were estimated through accelerated aging experiments of the restoration specimens. Six types of specimens were used in this process: a specimen painted with blue and yellow pigments for each resin type, and an unpainted specimen. Among them, the ΔE of the unpainted specimens (BA) of Araldite AW106 and HV953U was the highest of 4.66, and the acceptable light irradiation time was about 130,000 hours if the change rate of ΔE is limited to about 1. It was confirmed that the BA specimens were losing their characteristics due to light, as their reflectance and transmittance increased and the absorbance decreased, making them more transparent than their original color. It was found that the painted specimens had a low change rate of ΔE, with insignificant changes in their reflectance, transmittance and absorbance. Therefore, the use of pigments with high photostability provides more restoration materials options.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.30
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• pp.1-22
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• 2023

This study aims to document the conservation treatment of the fine-hemp official headgear housed by the National Museum of Korea, and to reconsider its existing name following the restoration of the original form of the damaged cultural heritage asset. The headgear consists of a single inner frame with a vertical line at the front, a single outer frame surrounding the inner frame, and a double-layered headband that spans the circumference of the wearer's head and joins the inner and the outer frames. This study applied a conservation treatment to the men's undyed hemp headgear of the Joseon Dynasty in order to remove contaminants and foreign substances on the surface and repair the partially deteriorated and damaged fabric, thereby restoring and stabilizing the original shape and preparing it for exhibitions. The hemp headgear was sewed both by hand and with a sewing machine. Although its overall composition and style are similar to the same type of official headgear from the Joseon Dynasty, the use of a sewing machine supports the assumption that it was produced in the early 1900s. This study identified similarities between the overall composition and shape of the fully-preserved hemp official headgear and those of the jangbogwan, a type of men's official headgear worn by Confucian scholars as part of their everyday attire, and compared it with the shape of jangbogwan seen in documentary records, illustrations, prior research, and portraits from the Joseon Dynasty, as well as with the characteristics of extant jangbowan artifacts, eventually concluding that it is appropriate to classify and name the headgear as a jangbogwan.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.31
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• pp.71-103
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• 2024

The National Museum of Korea Conservation science division conducted a precise diagnosis and a non-destructive investigation to comprehensively assess the overall damage of the Twin-lion stone lantern from the Godalsa Temple site, Yeoju to be placed on display in the museum's outdoor stone garden, then reviewed the relevant conservation and management plan and applied conservation treatment to the artifact. The museum carried out the treatment in the following order: precise diagnosis; dismantling of the previously-restored part of the roof stone; reinforcement and restoration of the roof structure with new stone; restoration of the previously-restored part of the lantern's support stone (jungseok); surface texture treatment to the restored area; cleaning (basic, laser); and color matching. The previously-restored part of the roof stone was removed and restored with new stone material, based on the results of a safety diagnosis regarding the separation at the said part. Granite from the Sangju area was selected as the material for the restoration in consideration of the results of mineral analysis as well as the surface color and particle size. The new stone was divided into three pieces based on the descending edges of the octagonal roof structure and joined together using epoxy resin. The structure was further strengthened by inserting titanium rods. It is expected that the status diagnosis and conservation treatment of the twin-lion stone lantern from the Godalsa Temple site in Yeoju will be used as a reference for the future conservation and management of outdoor displays of stone cultural heritage.