• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.210-223
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• 2014

When sarira reliquary was found in stone pagoda of Mireuksa Temple, there were 494 gold artifacts, including inner gold pot, gold plate with inscription for Sarira enshrinement, etc. Most of gold artifacts were crafted, but there were 22 gold plates and 4 gold ingots, which did not have any specific shape. It was considered that they had not been crafted. Since gold exists as a metal rather than a metallic oxide in nature, in general, it can be crafted by melting and shaping. However, gold in nature has impurities so it has to be refined to have malleability. The characteristic features were identified through the analysis of gold artifacts from sarira reliquary found in stone pagoda of Mireuksa Temple. The analysis result showed that there were 3 types of gold; pure gold artifacts, artifacts produced with silver containing gold and natural gold ingots. Inner gold pot, gold earrings and gold small beads were produced with pure gold and they contained less than 1wt.% of copper. It seemed like they were produced as pure gold to be shaped by hammering. Gold plate with inscription, tweezers, gold earrings, ingots, etc. were produced with silver containing gold as they had to be more solid. Gold ingots seemed to be natural gold considering the distribution of silver and copper in them, but it cannot be concluded as there are not enough information on gold ingots in Korea. The comprehensive research on gold ingots from various regions in Korea has to be carried out to confirm the above. Sarira Reliquary showed the very sophisticated gold craftsmanship. Gold ingots with the inscriptions, which say 1 nyang, were approximately 14g. Considering the weight of these ingots as standard, weights of other ingots were half nyang(7g), 2 nyang(28g), etc.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.175-184
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• 2012

A purpose of this research is to find out characteristic of bronze artifacts and gold ornaments excavated from Xiongnu tombs No. 2~4 at Duurlig Nars in Mongolia through scientific analysis of them. The Tombs are comparatively small. There were still lots of relics remaining although the tombs had been already robbed. Also the tombs are evaluated important since the origin of them show coexisting of chinese and northern style. First of all, an analysis result about bronze vessels found in this site, they have high lead(Pb) content and relatively low tin(Sn) content, as compared with the Bronze Han Mirror and End-fittings of Bronze Parasol Rib. Especially in case of bronze tray and bronze lamp from the no. 2 tomb and also bronze cauldron from the no. 4 tomb contain only 1wt% of tin which means binary alloy composition(Cu-Pb). Also, in the case of gold ornaments found in the no. 2 tomb, they have comparatively high purity. And the research suppose that the high possibility of that they were used soldering using alloy of Au-Cu or diffused bonding(using malachite and copper oxide) for joining gold grains of gold granulation ornament. Further scientific research and analysis in Mongolia and other countries will provide more clues to solve mystery of Xiongnu culture.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.26
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• pp.143-160
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• 2021

The Seoul Baekje Museum has been conducting excavations at the Ancient Tomb Complex in Seokchon-dong, Seoul (Historic Site No. 243), known to be tombs of the royal family and the ruling class during the Hanseong period of the Baekje Kingdom. In this study, gold earrings that were revealed during the excavation underwent scientific analysis and conservation treatment. Stereo microscopy, SEM, X-ray imaging, CT, and XRF were applied in the analysis, and the characteristics, internal structure, and composition of the earrings as well as their production method were investigated. The results confirmed that the main hoops of the gilt-bronze earrings were made of copper cores gilt using mercury amalgamation. The findings also revealed that the hexahedron in the middle pendant was made by connecting small rings using molten gold powder, and the pendant sphere at the end was formed by soldering two hemispheres. As for the two thin-hoop earrings, they showed similar surface compositions but were made using different methods, with one made from a copper core wrapped with a gold plate and the other made by bending a gold rod. The gold content varied depending on the item and the place of measurement, but overall the earrings showed a relatively high gold content of approximately 19 to 21K. The purity of the golden earrings and the sophisticated manufacturing techniques applied indicate the high status of the buried person and of the tomb complex in Seokchong-dong.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2015

The Phoenix-shaped Glass Ewer, which is No. 193 National Treasure, was seriously damaged by a unique form of green glass pieces when excavated among a number of burial accessories of Hwangnamdaechong known to have been formed in the 5th century. While it has long been exhibited at the National Museum of Korea since its treatment for conservation treatment at conservation science laboratory in 1984, the existing adhesive materials seriously deteriorated for the 30 years, and the condition was quite unstable. The epoxy resin used as a restorative materials turned yellowing due to the light and heat so much that it was no longer able to exhibit it in a stable and effective manner. As a result, a re-treatment for conservation was conducted lately. This study focuses on the three pieces of Gold wires used to carefully wrap up the handle of the Phoenix-shaped Glass Ewer broken into three pieces, which has not been studied so far. As for the analysis method for Gold wires, SEM-EDS and Stereo Microscope were used for nondestructive analysis. First of all, the result of the SEM-EDS analysis shows that the composition was Au 91.9 wt.%-Au 92.8 w.t% and Ag 5.9 wt.%-Ag 6.5 wt.%, which indicates that it was an alloy made of Au and Ag. The production technique of Gold wires was also observed by means of optical microscopes. In general, Gold wires were manufactured by a drawing process in which a lump of gold was beaten or pulled out of a hole or by a process of twisting a gold plate. However, Gold wires separated from the handle of the Phoenix-shaped Glass Ewer did not involve any trace of twisting on the surface. Rather, fine vertical stripes were observed with the sections filled up. Hence, it is thought that this Ewer went through a drawing process and then was mended. As a result, no certain relation with the golden mending material used for the Phoenix-shaped Glass Ewer was verified. The findings above indicate that most of the existing researches on Gold wires recognized them, not as separate remains, but merely as a component of other golden remains. Thus, there has been little systematic study on the manufacturing techniques of Gold wires. The future study on Gold wires may verify the correlation between the Gold wires used to fix the handle of the Phoenix-shaped Glass Ewer, which is examined in this study, with that of golden remains in the Silla era.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.16
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• pp.4-13
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• 2015

In most gold objects crafted using the granulation technique that have been thus far discovered in the Korean Peninsula, granules were joined using a soldering alloy of gold and silver. However, it was recently revealed through SEM-EDS analysis performed on the ornamented dagger sheath from Gyerim-ro Tomb No.14 in Gyeongju that the gold granules were joined to the surface of this sheath using an entirely different technique. The gold granules on the Gyerim-ro dagger sheath are evenly sized and shaped, the surface has a dendritic texture. Dendritic textures are a characteristic feature of metal alloys, not observed in pure metals. As a matter of fact, the gold granules were made of a ternary alloy of 77wt% Au, 18wt% Ag and 4wt% Cu. Due to this component, the alloy has a melting point below 1000℃ (approximately 980℃), which is significantly lower than 1064℃, the melting temperature of pure gold. This makes it possible to join the gold granules directly to the surface of the sheath by briefly heating them to high temperature, without the use of soldering or any other media. When examined through SEM image, the surface of the sheath showed no traces of soldering, it suggests that the granules were joined through unaided fusion.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.160-171
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• 2019

The sword with a ring pommel, which was excavated from the first stone chamber of the ancient tombs of Jeongchon Village in Naju, is a sword with a pentagon undecorated ring pommel consisting of a mother sword and two child swords. The sword with an undecorated ring pommel of Jeongchon comprises a ring pommel, a hilt, a knife, and a knife end decoration. This sword was coated with lacquer. The ring pommel is an iron frame covered with silver plate; however the silver tarnished into a light purple due to silver chloride corrosion, and iron corrosion originated from the inside is visible on the surface. Silver chloride corrosion is produced when silver objects are exposed to water, dissolved salts, and dissolved chloride ions when in a buried state. It changes objects into powder, making it difficult to preserve original shapes. The other silver artifacts found in the Jeongchon ancient tombs show similar signs of corrosion. The results of X-ray irradiation and a CT analysis showed that the sword had a ring at the end of the handle, a T-shaped hilt, and was probably connected to the handle end of a knife. If the shape of the mother sword can be inferred from the child swords, the mother sword had a ring pommel, decorations of the handle, covered with silver plate, and a gold ring and a silver line wound around the handle. It is assumed that the ring pommel was connected to the knife by welding because no holes were observed. The end decoration of the knife was made by using an iron plate formed into a shape, half covered by silk, and the other half decorated with silver plate and a gold ring. The sword with an undecorated ring pommel excavated from the ancient tombs of Jeongchon Village comprises the metals of gold, silver, and iron, and includes features of Baekje, Silla, and Gaya, which highlights the influence of surrounding historic sites and various cultures.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.4-17
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• 2021

This study analyzed 19 samples of harness fittings and pendants, which were excavated in Tomb No. 15 in Songhyeon-dong, Changnyeong. Harness fittings and pendants are used for ostentation, rather than practicality, and were excavated from ancient tombs in Gaya culture. So, they are considered artifacts that compare the production techniques and raw materials. This study aimed to examine the production techniques and provenience studies of Bihwa Gaya, which is estimated to be from the 5th to 6th centuries. According to the research, harness fittings were made of pure copper and were gilded with Au·Ag alloys on their surfaces. Hg was detected together and plated with a mercury amalgam method. As a result of the pendant (fish scales-pattern, oval and fish-tail shape), analysis showed that Fe in the background metal, Cu in the middle layer, and Au and Ag on the surface were the main components. The method of adhesion between Cu and Au·Ag gilded layers are plated by a mercury amalgamation method. So, it was identified by the gilt-iron·gold·bronze technique. Since the pendant (heart shaped) is found to be the main component of Fe in the background metal and Ag in the surface layer, the metal was made gilt-iron·silver technique. The background metal and gilding were additionally fixed using a rivet. The raw materials of 3 harnesses excavated from Changnyeong are plotted in zone 2 in the southern Korean Peninsula. And 16 harnesses were plotted in Chinese copper ore by Mabuchi Hishao in the Chinese Peninsula.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.254-267
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• 2019

Clamp resist dyeing is a resist dyeing technique in which a fabric is sandwiched between two or more pieces of woodcarving and then a pattern is expressed by dyeing. Records from nine years of King Heungdeok's reign during the Unified Silla dynasty show that the use of the clamp resist dyeing technique was banned for different garments. This was only for garments of YOOKDUPUMNYEO (六頭品女) or OHDUPUMNYEO (五頭品女). Given this, it can be assumed that clamp resisted fabrics were widely used, and the technique had been established during the Unified Silla dynasty or before. However, only the term can be found in the records. Neither its definition nor how this technique was used is explained. Also, it is difficult to assume the types and features of clamp resist dyeing due to a lack of materials. A small number of relics from the Goryeo dynasty still remain, though. Craft techniques have developed through international exchanges and have changed according to respective nations' circumstances including politics, economics, society, and culture. Hence, this research analyzed documents and relics from China and Japan, two countries neighboring the Republic of Korea, and studied the different types and features of clamp resist dyeing techniques. Clamp resist dyeing techniques were divided into monochromatic or multichromatic according to the number of colors that represented patterns, rather than according to the respective nations' features. They were also classified into mono, bilateral symmetry, or vertical-bilateral symmetry according to the structure of the patterns. Through the study of examples of inherited or reproduced dyeing techniques in China and Japan, it was confirmed that different engraving techniques, including relief, openwork, intaglio fit for the feature of a pattern and the number of colors, were applied in order to vividly represent patterns on fabric. Using small flower pattern clamp resist dyed fine tabby in Amitabha of 1302, the only relic showing its patterns and colors in Korea, as the experiment subject, this research successfully reproduced a clamp resist dyeing technique through a successful experiment based on the basic materials from the dyeing technique case study. Due to the significance of the experiment on a clamp resist dyeing technique that stopped its transmission and shows the features of the technique, this study is expected to be a basic resource that can be used for future reproductions of multichromatic clamp resist dyeing techniques. Also, it is expected to be helpful in widening and recreating the world of Korean pattern dyeing with modern dyeing techniques.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.26
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• pp.83-182
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• 2021

This study summarized the results of the conservation treatment and investigation on the production method of the golden crown (Treasure No. 339) excavated from Tomb No. 129 (also known as Seobongchong Tomb) in Noseo-dong, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. The golden crown from Seobongchong Tomb was discovered during the excavations conducted by the Museum of the Government-General of Korea in 1926 during the Japanese colonial era. It is currently in the collection of the National Museum of Korea. A total of six Silla golden crowns have survived in Korea, among which the crown from Seobongchong Tomb is the only example with a dome-shaped hemispherical decoration attached with a bird ornament while otherwise showing the typical features of Silla crowns. The crown had been repaired following its excavation using metallic materials and adhesives, but due to the partial deformation and damage brought about by the repair materials, it required further conservation treatment. This article describes in detail the overall process of the conservation treatment and the restoration of the original form of the golden crown from Seobongchong Tomb, particularly the method of reinforcing the joints to secure the stability of the crown. It presents the characteristics of the crown's production as revealed in the investigation during the conservation treatment, and further analyzes the relationship of this crown from Seobongchong Tomb with other Silla crowns through a comparison of their production techniques. The investigation revealed that the crown was primarily decorated with golden sequins at the time of its production. At a later point some of the sequins in the upright ornament were replaced with comma-shaped jade beads and additional comma-shaped jade beads were added to the headband. In order to determine if such modifications to the decoration had occurred with other Silla crowns, the decoration of the six extant Silla golden crowns were investigated. The crown from Cheonmachong Tomb features traces of this same modification to the decoration and possesses other similarities with the crown from Seobongchong Tomb.