• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.17
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• pp.101-116
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• 2016

Ceramic cultural artifacts restored with gypsum-based materials are prone to decay over time due to gypsum's natural absorption and release of atmospheric moisture, often leading to distortion and peeling of painted layers. This study proposes a new restoration material which utilizes extra hard stone, significantly superior in strength to regular gypsum. In order to enhance its physical properties and make it suitable for restoration of ceramics, extra hard stone is mixed with metakaolin. This mixture far surpasses regular gypsum in compressive strength(119MPa vs. 26MPa) while also maintaining a much lower wear rate(0.88% vs. 2.53%). Furthermore, the water absorption rate(2.9%) of the mixed material is over five times lower than that of regular gypsum(17.2%). When examined using a SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope), this mixture also proved superior to extra hard stone in terms of hardened density. The addition of metakaolin increases the mixture's strength and water resistance over that of extra hard stone and also improves its surface density, making it ideal for the restoration of ceramics. It has already been used to repair ceramic objects in the Museum's collection: Clay basin(sinan 18892), Buncheong ware bottle with incised peony design(jubsu 2034), Buncheong ware bowl with chrysanthemum(jubsu 1730). Results thus far have shown the mixture to be easy to inject and layer as well as harden into an even surface, which allows for smooth application of paint for color matching.

• 한국문화재보존과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.19-24
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• 2001

This study mainly reports preliminary results from site investigation of the Great Pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt and sampling works where conducted in the same limestone beds in Mokattam quarry in Cairo. Analyses of composition of samples showed similar result to those of limestone in Giza and thus such samples can be easily used for further experimental work without disturbing real monuments. Future work will be concentrated on the change of engineering properties of samples before and after artificial weathering and the change of digital image acquired from the colored surface of monuments.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.88-109
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• 2017

As the technique to remove Paraloid B-72, which is known as an irreversible material, the method using organic solvent and heating, though the ways vary depending on the kind of material to be removed, has been usually used, but it has yet to apply to mud mural because of the technical limit in processing and the potential risk of damage and, moreover, the removal efficiency which also remains unproven. Thus, in a bid to seek the way to safely remove Paraloid B-72 contained in mural, the test was conducted in a way of applying a compress method, which is deemed most efficient. The solvents which are proven to be Paraloid B-72 were applied to the absorbents such as active carbon fiber and methyl cellulose and then were eluted to the surface of mud mural sample which was prepared in the same size and condition for a certain time before evaluating the stability and removal efficiency. Such test was intended to identify the applicability to the mural of Mireukjeon Hall at Geunsansa Temple, which had been treated with Paraloid B-72 for preservation in the past. As a result, the way of mixing the absorbent such as active carbon fiber and Xylene alone or with other quick vaporable solvents proved to be most efficient in removing Paraloid B-72 from mud mural and particularly Acetone:Xylene(1:1wt%) was found to be the most stable among others. Such a test outcome is expected to be a useful data for removing Paraloid B-72 from the mural of Mireukjeon Hall at Geunsansa Temple as well as for restoring other mural cultural assets in the coming days.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.133-143
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• 2022

In this study, we analyzed the rickshaw (Owned by the Daegu Modern History Museum) by measuring each material. The purpose of the study was to identify the materials in modern cultural assets that utilize a variety of materials in a complex way, and establish basic data for preservation and management. Using portable X-ray fluorescence analyzers (P-XRF), species identification, fiber identification, paint film analysis (microscope observation, SEM-EDS, FTIR) on metal, wood, fiber and paint was carried out. Brass, an alloy of Copper, Zinc and Iron, was measured in the metal parts. Further, wooden parts, such as Oak (Quercus acutissima), Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), Bamboo (Bambusoideae). Torreya nucifera (Torreya spp.) were identified in the body. Fiber parts consisted mainly of cotton, but some parts were also made of leather. In terms of paint, rickshaws were applied with multiple layers, using cashew (synthetic paint used in place of lacquer). In sum, the rickshaw body part appeared to overlap with layers of fiber, metal (soild), paint, and colored (black, red) layer.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.226-245
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• 2019

Beopjusa Gwaebultaeng (Large Buddhist Painting), designated as Treasure No. 1259, was painted in 1766 and featured Yeorae (Buddha) at the center in the style of a single figure. It is the longest existing buddhist painting and was created by Duhun, a painter who was representative of 18th century Korean artists. His other remaining work is Seokgayeorae Gwaebultaeng (1767) in Tongdosa Temple. Considering their same iconography, they are assumed to have used the same underdrawing. Duhun had a superb ability to maintain a consistent underdrawing, while most painters changed theirs within a year. The Beopjusa painting carries significance because it was not only painted earlier than the one in Tongdosa, but also indicates possible relevance to the royal family through its records. Beopjusa Temple is also the site of Seonhuigung Wondang, a shrine housing the spirit tablet of Lady Yi Youngbin, also known as Lady Seonhui. Having been built only a year before Beopjusa Gwaebultaeng was painted, it served as a basis for the presumption that it has a connection to the royal family. In particular, a group of unmarried women is noticeable in the record of Beopjusa painting. The names of some people, including Ms. Lee, born in the year of Gyengjin, are recorded on the Bonginsa Temple Building, the construction of which Lady Yi Youngbin and Princess Hwawan donated money to. In this regard, they are probably court ladies related to Lady Yi Youngbin. The connection of Beopjusa Gwaebultaeng with the royal family is also verified by a prayer at the bottom of the painting, reading "JusangJusamJeonhaSumanse (主上主三殿下壽萬歲, May the king live forever)." While looking into the historical characteristics of this art, this study took an approach based on scientific analysis. Damages to Beopjusa Gwaebultaeng include: bending, folding, wrinkles, stains due to moisture, pigment spalling, point-shaped pigment spalling, and pigment penetration to the lining paper at the back. According to the results of an analysis of the painting pigments, white lead was used as a white pigment, while an ink stick and indigo were used for black. For red, cinnabar and minium were used independently or were combined. For purple, organic pigments seem to have been used. For yellow, white lead and gamboge were mixed, or gamboge was painted over white lead, and gold foil was adopted for storage. As a green pigment, atacamite or a mixture of atacamite and malachite was used. Azurite and smalt were used separately or together as blue pigments.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.122-147
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• 2012

The Four-guardian statues in Song-gwang buddhist temple, Suncheon, Korea, have been remade in AD 1628 and have been repaired and repainted over several times since then. Therefore, the study of the pigments applied on the statues can provide good chance for investigation about pigments used in the late Chosun Period. Pigments on fragments from Gwang-mok(Virupaksha), one of the Four-guardian statues, have been analyzed by optical microscope, SEM-EDX and XRD in order to identify the components and compounds. Six types of materials were found from the fragments, which are soil layer with brown clay band, soil layer containing a lot of fibers, Korean paper with loose texture, Korean paper with dense texture, silk, and hemp textile. Presumably, the soil layer which have brown clay band is basis layer and the other layers are repaired layers. From comparative study for the components of the pigments, applied on upper and lower parts of the repaired layers, we have concluded that those repaired layers had been applied on the statue by the following order; basis layer ${\rightarrow}$ Korean paper with loose texture ${\rightarrow}$ soil containing a lot of fibers ${\rightarrow}$ silk ${\rightarrow}$ hemp textile and Korean paper with dense texture. In addition, the years that those materials were applied on the statue have been estimated as 1720~1891, 1926, 1946 and 1976, respectively. The distinct features of each age are as the following; lead white and copper chloride hydroxide are major white and green pigments before 1891, zinc white, barium white, emerald green, and ultramarine blue appear after 1926 and titanium white uprises around 1976. Our result presented here, study on pigments applied on traditional statues over several different periods, will provide good database for future study on pigments used for traditional painting in Buddist temples and Dancheong.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.170-187
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• 2020

Dolmens bearing the burial layout and stone coffin tombs of the late Bronze Age were excavated from Samdeok-ri, Goseong, Gyeonsangnsamdo, and grave items such as red-burnished pottery, arrowheads, and stone swords were also discovered. In the case of the red-burnished pottery that was found, it retains a pigment layer with a thickness of about 50 to 160㎛, but with most of the other items, exfoliation and peeling-off of pigment layers can be observed on the surface. The raw materials of the red-burnished pottery contained moderately sorted minerals such as quartz, feldspar, and hornblende, and partly opaque iron oxide minerals were also identified. In particular, the raw materials of the red-burnished pottery from stone coffin tomb #6 were different from those of the other pottery, containing large amounts of hornblende and feldspar. The pottery's red pigment was identified as hematite and showed similar mineral content of raw materials such as fine grained quartz, feldspar, and hornblende. The firing temperature is estimated to have been approximately 900℃, based on their mineral phase. The possibility exists that the raw materials had been collected from the Samdeok-ri area, because diorite and granite diorite with dominant feldspar and hornblende have been identified within 3km of that area. During the pottery manufacturing process, it is estimated that the pigment was painted on the entire surface of the red-burnished pottery after it had been molded and then finished using the abrasion technique. In other words, the red-burnished pottery was made by the process of vessel forming - semi drying - coloring - polishing. The surface and cross-section of the pottery appears differently depending on the concentration of the pigment and the coloring method used after vessels were formed. Most of the excavated pottery features a distinct boundary between pigment and body fabric. However, in the case of pottery in which fine-grained pigments penetrate the body fabric so that layers cannot be distinguished, there is the possibility that the fine-grained pigment layer was applied at a low concentration or immediately after vessel forming. Many cracks can be seen on the surface pigments in thickly painted pottery items, and in many cases, only a small portion of the pigment layers remain due to surface exfoliation and abrasion in the burial environment. It is reported that pottery items may be more easily damaged by abrasion if coated with pigment and polished, so it is believed that the red-burnished pottery of the Samdeok-ri site suffered from weathering in the burial environment. This damage was more extensive in the potsherds that were scattered outside the tomb.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.178-186
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• 2020

Verdigris is a traditional artificial pigment reported on old research papers and according to the methods mentioned in the literature, it is manufactured by the corrosion of copper or copper alloys using vinegar and by further scraping the generated rust. Since the Three Kingdoms Period, various household products with copper alloys, such as bronze and brass, have been used, and pigment analysis of these cultural heritage items has revealed the presence of tin, zinc, lead, and copper in green pigments. Based on these data, five types of verdigris were prepared from copper and copper alloys, and analyzed. the analysis results revealed a bluish green pigmentation, and the chromaticity, particle shape, and oil absorption quantity of each verdigris differed based on the type of copper alloy used in its preparation. The main components of verdigris are Cu, Sn, Zn and Pb, and their proportions depended on the type of copper alloy used during manufacturing. However, the main constituent mineral of the pigments is the same as 'hoganite[Cu(CH₃COO)₂·H₂O]', regardless of the copper alloy used. The result of accelerated weathering test for stability evaluation revealed that verdigris was discolored rapidly, thereby indicating that its stability was low, in particular, the pigments comprising lead presented relatively lower stability.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.237-244
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• 2019

In this study, we applied terahertz imaging technology to three Korean modern oil paintings ('Boy,' 'Girl,' and 'Hyehwadong Landscape'); investigated the types of inner layer information in the pictures that can be extracted with terahertz imaging technology; and analyzed the conditions for extracting them. The biggest problem in the terahertz imaging analysis we encountered was the image distortion caused by the change of the distance between the target surface and the terahertz detector, depending on the surface curvature of the target paintings. We then developed a 'working distance maintaining device' to solve this problem. As a result, the terahertz imaging technique was used to identify the base material characteristics and any patterns of damage inside, and presented the optimal conditions for identifying each characteristic. In addition, it was useful to employ the terahertz frequency-division image to check the characteristics of the background materials. To confirm coloring techniques such as brush strokes, it is effective to compare the maximum reflection peak image with the cross-section image; and to detect damage information inside the paintings that cannot be observed on the surface, to compare the cross-section image with the frequency-division image. On the other hand, according to the terahertz imaging analysis of the oil paintings, the internal structural damage marks of 'Boy' and 'Girl' were confirmed, and the artist's painting style was confirmed in 'Hyehwadong Landscape.' The above results are expected to be useful for the analysis and diagnosis of Korean modern oil paintings for their preservation.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.429-441
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to analyse the properties of Seokrok and Noerok that are used for restoration of heritage and arts. Malachite is main constituent mineral for Seokrok and Celadonite is Main component of Noerok. To evaluate the physical properties of pigment, A,B-class Seokrok and heated Seokrok that are sold in market were selected. To compare this results, Noerok sold in Japan were studied. In addition, we studied the pigments of Noerok. The heat treatment had no significant effect on the physical properties, except for the color-difference. The color-difference of Seokrok is larger than that of the Noerok sold in Japan. The $a^*$ values of Seokrok specimens are horizontal distribution, so it will expand the coloring ranges. The properties that are chromaticity, specific gravity and oil-absorption of Noerok are different from Seokrok. Noerok is suggested that achromatic color because the values of $a^*$ located near zero. Specific gravity of Noerok is smaller than Seokrok, but oil-absorption is larger twice. Noerok and Amnok, although ingredients are different, it is possible to use alternative because of similar physical characteristics. The result from this study expects to be used as useful referencing data for conservation and restoration of cultural heritage and understanding phenomena of the properties.