• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.18
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• pp.77-92
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• 2017

This study is based on a scientific analysis of the production method of the wooden seated Bodhisattva statue from Gwaneumsa Temple in Wando, which is currently housed at Chonnam National University Museum. The purpose was to investigate the characteristics of the statue's production through an X-ray inspection of the wooden timbers that make up its base material, a composition analysis of the surface layers, and microscopic observation. The votive prayers found together with the statue allowed the precise dating of the artifact to the sixteenth century, during the Joseon Dynasty. The X-ray transmission identified the statue as being made using the "ilmokjo"(一木造) technique, which means that the entirety of the statue excluding the right hand was produced using a single block of wood. The specimen analysis of the naturally exfoliated surface layer revealed that the current surface was coated with brass to restore the original gilt layer. These research findings added an interesting case to the existing related research and reaffirmed the academic value of this statue.