• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.26
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• pp.119-142
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• 2021

The gilt-bronze-and-silver shoes, excavated from the Tomb of King Muryeong, revealed many defective parts, which constantly raised in-depth re-investigation and reporting. In that point, scientific treatment and analysis were conducted to investigate the manufacturing techniques applied. The conservation treatment was carried out with an emphasis on the restoration of the original form and joining parts. As a result, the upper part of the right shoe and some part of the back heel were joined, confirming the joining method and the number of rivet used for instep bonding. From the component analysis, it is presumed that the outer plate was gilded with mercury amalgam on pure copper, and pure silver was used for the inner plate. The main pattern of the gilt-bronze-and-silver shoes includes designs of phoenix, lotus, and six-petal flower, while the lotus pattern is high in terms of ratio. Thus, youngnaksa(twisted gilt-bronze thread), geumdongsa(gilt-bronze thread), wondujeong (rivet), and samyeonjeong(quadrangular cleats) were used for bonding each plate. Twisted gilt-bronze thread was used to join the inner and outer plates, while the center and rear of the inner plate were combined with only gilt-bronze threads. From the fact, it is presumed that the joining method was different whether the function was decoration or just bonding. Regarding the manufacturing process, traces of burnishing were confirmed on the outer surface of the gilt-bronze and silver shoes, but no burnishing traces were identified on the inner surface of the silver plate, which is likely to prove more importance put on the finishing of the outer plates rather than that of the inner.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.24
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• pp.1-16
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• 2020

This paper presents the process of re-conservation and the results of research on the production method of the Iron Sword with Ring Pommel with Three-Pointed Leaf Decoration, one of the excavation findings from Tomb No. 55 in the Dalseong Ancient Tomb Complex in Daegu. This iron sword is a double weapon with two large swords housed within a single sheath. Four smaller swords are attached to the surface of the sheath, two on the upper portion and the other two below. It is the only such two-in-one weapon excavated intact thus far from an ancient Korean tomb. The records show that it underwent conservation treatment twice in the past. In this study, it was subjected to conservation treatment again to replace the stiffener in some cracking areas, and its material, composition, and production method were analyzed by CT, XRF analysis, and stereoscopic microscopy. The sword is mainly made of copper, but the golden component contains both gold and mercury, which suggests that the copper was plated in gold using mercury amalgamation. The examination of the production methods indicates that it was intended more to demonstrate the authority of its owner rather than to serve any practical use. The two upper small swords on the sheath were made in the same manner as the main swords, and the two small lower swords were cut from a single metal sheet. The sheath was made by cutting two metal sheets. Supports were used to attach the two small swords to the upper portion of the sheath, while the lower portion of the sheath was slit to allow the other two small swords to be inserted into it. The ring pommels of the main swords have a three-pointed leaf decoration. As for the other designs, the handle of the main sword features a series of semicircles, the decorative bands on the sheath have waves in dots, and the fish tail of the sheath shows diagonal lines of dots.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2011

For the silver artifacts in the Koryo Dynasty excavated from Neungnae-ri Ganghwa island, the metallographic section analysis and hardness and chemical analysis were conducted. After making samples in the similar ratio of the composition concentration, the changes of the microstructure were checked according to the working method and temperature. The results show that those silver artifacts are Au-Cu alloys with 2 to 6 % of Cu. From the results it is judged that Cu was artificially alloyed with them to keep the proper hardness and identified that they were gilded by the amalgamation process seeing that mercury was included at the guilt layer. Also the porous texture on the surface of them could be formed at over $400^{\circ}C$, therefore, it is assumed the hot working or heat treatment at over $400^{\circ}C$ were performed. In silver artifacts made by the relief and repousse, they have the similar composition analysis to other 7 artifacts but the hardness is lower than pure silver. Consequently from differences in the hardness, it can be inferred that the low hardness of silver artifacts is concerned with manufacturing techniques.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.42-57
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• 2017

The Joseon Dynasty (1392~1910) had a long tradition of making official seals to commemorate the granting of official royal titles, including posthumous honorary titles, to its kings, queens, crown princes and queen dowagers. These royal seals were typically gold-plated or made of jade. After the death of its holder, each seal would be stored in the royal seal depository in the Royal Ancestral Shrine. Extensive efforts were made to restore the traditions and culture of the royal family of Joseon during the reign of King Sukjong (r. 1674~1720). In 1705, discussions were held about the royal ceremonial objects, including the royal seals, stored in the Royal Ancestral Shrine, resulting in the reproduction of a set of accessories related with the storage of royal seals and ten golden royal seals which had been lost during wars or had yet to be made. With these reproductions, each shrine chamber of the Royal Ancestral Shrine would have had at least one seal. The details of the reproduction project were meticulously recorded in The Royal Protocol by the Directorate for the Restoration of Golden Royal Seals("金寶改造都監儀軌"). Given that the restoration project was the single event that led to the reproduction of all the golden royal seals, it is reasonable to conclude that the directorate had fulfilled a historically significant function. In this study, the main discussion is focused on the establishment of the directorate and the storage and management of the damaged royal seals. The discussion includes the manufacturing process of the golden seals, for which The Royal Protocol is compared with other similar documents in order to gain more detailed knowledge of the measurements of the turtle knob, the lost-wax casting technique, the gold plating with mercury amalgamation technique, and other ornamentation techniques. The discussion also covers the activities of the artisans who made the royal seals, based on a study of the royal protocols; the styles of the artifacts, based on an examination of the remaining examples; and the techniques used by the Directorate for the Restoration of Golden Royal Seals to produce the royal seals in 1705.