• Conservation Science in Museum
• /
• v.23
• /
• pp.17-30
• /
• 2020

This study presents the results of conservation treatment and research on a folding screen with embroidered classical Chinese characters "壽" (su) for longevity and "福" (bok) for good fortune in various scripts. The project was conducted as part of the program for supporting overseas Korean galleries in 2016. The present mounting of this ten-panel folding screen was difficult to identify as it had previously been remounted in a modern style. However, clues to the original mounting were discovered during the conservation process. It was revealed that the folding screen was decorated with colors frequently used in Joseon-period, such as teal silk at the top and bottom of each panel and a violet frame. These features provided clues to the original mounting of the folding screen, of which only a few elements have survived. Since this study analyzes only case of one folding screen, further research is required to reveal the method of mounting folding screens applied during this same period.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.55 no.1
• /
• pp.243-263
• /
• 2022

The royal court of Joseon had a tradition of mounting the Irworobongdo, a painting of the sun, the moon and the five sacred peaks, symbols of the king's immortal presence and authority, on a folding screen and placing it in special spaces within the palace that were reserved for the king. While the Irworobongdo is generally accepted as the important ceremonial object of the royal palaces of Joseon, there have been few studies on the various folding screens used in the royal palaces, largely because the official records about such screens do not match the remaining original relics. In this study, the main discussion is focused on the diversity of the shapes and mounting materials of the Irworobongdoused for various ceremonies held in the royal palaces of Joseon based on the Uigwe, the official records of the royal protocols of the Joseon dynasty. The discussion also extends to the theme rarely studied so far, namely the original form of the Irworobongdo and its evolution in the following period. The ceremonial "five peak" folding screens (Obongbyeong) used at a number of important palace buildings, including the crown hall (Jeongjeon), royal funerary hall (Binjeon), spirit hall (Honjeon) and portrait shrine (Jinjeon), differed in shape and size from the folding screens used in royal celebratory events such as banquets, although the paintings themselves and the style of mounting them were essentially the same. The paintings were mounted on screens bordered with green silk and ornamented with floral gilt designs. The folding screens used in royal ceremonies were produced according to strict guidelines that required the ceremonies and mounting materials to be graded on the basis of the status of each screen. It was not until the 1960s that these ceremonial folding screens of the Joseon dynasty, which had been neglected during the period of Japanese colonial rule of Korea, began to undergo conservation treatment provided as part of a heritage preservation program. Unfortunately, many of the screens repaired in this period lost some of their original features - largely due to the use of non-traditional mounting techniques. Considering, however, that significant achievements have since been made in the heritage preservation field based on the use of historical evidence, it is now necessary to systematically use the repair history of the information about the remaining royal ceremonial folding screens to ensure that they are preserved and managed more effectively in the future.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.100-121
• /
• 2023

This paper examines the interior settings of a chamber and of a temporary place of enshrinement at Yeonghuijeon (永禧殿, Hall of Eternal Happiness), the representative official portrait hall in which portraits of early and late Joseon kings were enshrined. Also, it discusses the features of the Five Peak screens used therein. The physical environment of a chamber at Yeonghuijeon mainly consisted of a four-panel folding screen with a painting of Five Peaks and a large wooden platform, which was adorned with dragon and lion patterns and attached to lotus-leaf column balustrades. The Five Peak screen was installed on a large platform in the shape of ⊓, spreading across the second and third panels on the back and folding out on the first and fourth panels on the right and left sides. When a portrait was enshrined in a temporary place, a simpler and smaller platform with railings was used. A four-panel folding screen of the Five Peak painting was installed in the same way as in a chamber, but was unfolded around a smaller platform behind it. A royal portrait was displayed in each chamber, whereas a case in which a portrait was rolled up was put on the smaller platform in a temporary place. The Five Peak screens for a chamber and a temporary place were all large four-panel folding screens with two wide panels in the middle and two narrow panels on each side, and only strips of silk were mounted on the four edges of the screens without additional wide lower-side mountings. While screens for the chamber used patterned silk for mounting and white paper for backing on screen frames, screens for the temporary place used plain silk and recycled failed test papers for mounting and backing, respectively. By examining records in the literature on the Five Peak screens for Yeonghuijeon, this paper highlights two Five Peak screens, both of which lost their provenance from the hall. The structures of the two screens reflected the way they were to be installed at the hall. Furthermore, this paper assumes that a Five Peak screen, which had been unfolded on the throne in the main hall of Changdeokgung Palace after the 1960s, was produced in 1858 for the purpose of temporarily enshrining King Sunjo's portrait due to the fact that failed test papers of the 1840s were laid taut over the frame.

• Journal of Conservation Science
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.149-159
• /
• 2013

The painted folding screen of Crown Prince Munhyo at Boyangcheong, Munhyo-seja Boyangcheonggyebyung, was made to record the court ceremony where Crown Prince Munhyo(1782-1786), the firstborn son of King Jeongjo, met his first teacher called Boyanggwan for the first time at Boyangcheong, a government agency specifically founded to provide education for a crown prince, in January 1784. Having never been treated before, this 8-fold screen is still in its original presentation of Joseon Dynasty screen paintings of court ceremonies in the 18th century. The mountings of folding screens in Joseon Dynasty has been researched through the study of the mounting of the Boyangcheong screen and the conservation treatment of the screen has been based on this research. The result of the pigment analysis shows the use of lead white, red lead, vermilion(cinnabar), azurite, malachite, litharge(massicot), carbon black(Chinese ink). The microscopic observation has proved that the painting was painted on verso in most areas and finished on recto to highlight the details or to produce subtle hues by applying light colors.

• Conservation Science in Museum
• /
• v.28
• /
• pp.35-50
• /
• 2022

This study explores the results of the research and conservation treatment conducted on two-peony paintings in the collection of the National Museum of Korea. The Jang-ji(障子) resembles a folding screen, but differs in size, shape, and use. A thick sheet of paper was used to attach the paintings to a wall, and traces of the lattice frame and red pigments, which was mainly used for building structures, remain on the back of the paper. It is confirmed that the paper was used as Jang-ji(障子) attached to adorn the walls or doors of a building and specifically decorated the interior of Seonwonjeon Hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was removed in 1867. The paper also indicates that the mounting was made in the 19^th-century Joseon Dynasty, as the peony painting was finished in a different color from Jang-ji(障子) used for the Seonwonjeon Hall in Changdeokgung Palace. Based on the analysis of pigments and literature research, this study attempts to take a new approach to the colored pigments used in royal peony paintings, and it is believed that the conservation treatment used in this study highlights the necessity of continuous research on wallpaper as reference materials for royal paintings of the Joseon Dynasty.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.52-69
• /
• 2021

The transcriptions of Buddhist sutra in the Goryeo Dynasty are more elaborate and splendid than those of any other period and occupy a very important position in Korean bibliography. Among them, the transcriptions made on indigo paper show decorative features that represent the dignity and quality that nobles would have preferred. Particularly, during the Goryeo Dynasty, a large number of transcriptions were made on indigo paper, often in hand-scrolled and folded forms. If flexibility was not guaranteed, the hand-scrolled form caused inconvenience and damage when handling the transcription because of the structural limitations of the material that is rolled up and opened. It was possible to overcome these shortcomings by changing from the hand-scrolled to the folded form to obtain convenience and structural stability. The folded form of the transcription utilizes the same principle as the folding screen, so it is a structure that can be folded and unfolded, and it is made by connecting parts at regularly spaced intervals. No matter how small the transcription is, if it is made of thin paper, it is difficult to handle it and to maintain its shape and structure. For this reason, the folded transcription was usually made of thick paper to support the structure, and the cover was made thicker than the inner part to protect the contents. In other words, the forded form was generally manufactured to suit the characteristics of maintaining strength by making the paper thick. Because a large amount of indigo paper was needed to make this type of transcription, it is assumed that there were craftsmen who were in charge only of dark dyeing the papers. Usually, paper dyeing requires much more dye than silk dyeing, and dyeing dozens of times would be required to obtain the deep indigo color of the base of the transcription of Buddhist sutra in the Goryeo Dynasty. Unfortunately, there is no record of the Goryeo Dynasty's indigo blue paper manufacturing technique, and the craftsmen who made indigo paper no longer remain, so no one knows the exact method of making indigo paper. Recently, Hanji artisans, natural dyers, and conservators attempted to restore the Goryeo Dynasty's indigo paper, but the texture and deep colors found in the relics could not be reproduced. This study introduces the process of restoring indigo paper in the Goryeo Dynasty through collaboration between dyeing artisans, Hanji artisans, and conservators for conservation of the transcription of Buddhist sutra in the late Goryeo dynasty, yielding a suggested method of making indigo paper.