• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.216-228
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to apply the handheld Raman spectrometer to identify the coloring materials used in a large Buddhist painting (of Maitreya Buddha) at Janggoksa Temple through cross-validation with HH-XRF. An in situ investigation was performed together with use of a digital microscope and HH-XRF analysis to verify the properties of pigments used in the gwaebul ("large Buddhist painting") via a non-destructive method. However, the identification of coloring materials composed of light elements and mixed or overlaid pigments is difficult using only non-destructive analysis data. Unlike in situ investigation, laboratory analysis often required samples yet the sampling is restricted to a small quantity due to the cultural heritage characteristic. Thus, it is necessary to develop a non-destructive in situ method to supplement the HH-XRF data. The large Buddhist painting at Janggoksa Temple was painted mainly using white, red, yellow, green, and blue colors. The Raman spectroscopy provides molecular information, while XRF spectroscopy provides information about elemental composition of the pigments. Analysis results identified various coloring materials: inorganic pigment, such as lead white, minium, cinnabar, and orpiment, as well as organic pigment such as gamboge and indigo. Therefore, it is possible to obtain more information for the identification of pigments; organic pigment and mixed or overlaid pigments, while at the same time minimizing the collection sample and simplifying the analysis procedure compared to previously used methods. The results of this study will be used as basic data for the analysis of painting cultural heritage through a non-destructive in situ method in the future.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.150-171
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• 2013

The most important part of conservation treatment of murals is to preserve them against the risk of a damage by injecting fixative into them when the painting loses its cohesion or powderization of pigments occurred due to occurrence of cracks inside the painting layer. However, studies on the stability of fixative used for painting layers of murals are still insufficient. This study manufactured a mural as a specimen and colored it with four kinds of pigments including oyster shell white, cinnabar, malachite and red clay and applied four kinds of fixative, including, Paraloid $B-72^{(R)}$, Caparol-$binder^{(R)}$, glue and Hydoxypropyl $cellulose^{(R)}$. artificially generated environmental changes in temperature, humidity and ultraviolet rays which may occur after the completion of conservation treatment. Then the changes in physical properties were observed in multifaceted ways such as color stability, contact angle, brilliance, adhesive strength and surface. As a result, this study found that ultraviolet rays and hot?humid environment have a large impact on color stability causing changes in brightness and chroma of all painting layers where the fixative were applied, except for oyster shell white and are considered the main factors of decomposition by accelerating the aging process of fixatives applied. In comparison to the synthetic resins that were also tested in this study, the traditional glue showed satisfactory results in terms of color stability and influence preservation and the hydrophile property. As it showed exceptionally outstanding adhesive strength in all painting layers in the aspect of adhesive strength, it is considered to be highly stabile for the fixation treatment of painting layers of mural.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.123-135
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• 2018

This study tried to find the clue to Seokrok province by comparing Seokrok used in painting culture properties with Seokrok ore from domestic occurrence and imported Seokrok ore. To this end, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of painting cultural properties were identified with portable X-ray Florescence (p-XRF), micro X-ray diffraction (micro XRD) and SEM/EDS Analysis. To obtain Pb isotopic ratio, the Pb contained in Seokrok has been analyzed with Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer. Atacamite (or botallackite) and small quantity of brochantite were identified from Seokrok in Dancheong, and malachite was also identified from Buddhist painting besides those two ingredients. Without distinction of type, most Seokrok used in painting cultural properties is atacamite composed of Cu and Cl. From Pb isotope analysis, it was found that Seokrok in painting cultural properties was closer to that of north Korea, north China and Japan than south Korea as in regional division for East North Asia suggested by Mabuchi. The Pb isotopic ratio of domestic green mineral belongs to the distribution of Seokrok inside the painting cultural properties but imported malachite showed considerably difference. Considering the fact that atacamite, the main mineral of Seokrok in painting cultural properties is rarely produced from southern mine of the Korean Peninsula and the result of Pb isotope analysis.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.132-147
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• 2015

In this article, the research trends regarding the analysis and restoration of the pigments applied on colored cultural properties during past 25 years are reviewed and the future research direction in this field of study is proposed. There are over 100 different pieces of the colored cultural property samples that have been analyzed in Korea during the time and are increasing numbers of studies on comparative investigations as well. In addition, new analysis techniques have been introduced to surpass the limitation of the current analysis techniques and the database construction has been developed tremendously, which will enhance the analysis reliability, indicating fast growth in the related research areas. There are also studies on finding new materials to replace the traditional ingredients for producing color pigments and related other materials to overcome the limitation of the traditional ingredients on top of the steady number of studies on reproduction and restoration of the traditional pigments. These various research efforts will bring much development in this area of research. One suggestion to be made is that there need to be long term planned research works for certain type of studies. For instance, the effect to the colored cultural properties due to the environmental change is one of important research topics that should be carefully studied, which requires longer time period and also more patience than the research works in the current and past trends.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.416-429
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• 2019

Bongchae is primarily employed for toning, which is the last step in the conservation treatment of paper's cultural properties. The objective of this study is to identify the coloring patterns of four types of Bongchae(Bonram, Gamboge, Yeonji, and Daeja) and determine the associated color change patterns through accelerated aging experiments. By examining the coloring patterns, it is observed that Yeonji, Bonram, and Daeja are painted as particles, whereas Gamboge indicates a close state of coating. Results obtained from X-ray diffraction analysis of Bongchae indicate that the presence of quartz, calcite, and pyrophyllite can be equally detected in Bonram, Yeonji, and Daeja. Additionally, the presence of goethite is also detected in Daeja. Gamboge becomes discolored from yellow to orange color during wet thermal aging, and Gamboge and Yeonji become decolorized during UV irradiation aging. Hence, cultural properties of paper colored with Gamboge can be predicted to become discolored to orange color by alkalis and can be darkened by UV rays because the decolorization of Gamboge and Yeonji occurs preferentially.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.212-223
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• 2012

Pigments used paintings, ornaments, weapons and various objects have been recognised as important elements to ascertain the history, manufacturing technique and cultural migration. Since the understanding of composition of pigments by analysis began in 1963, its technique and methodology has much advanced in recent years; recent study used the portable X-ray Fluorescence as non-destructive analysis has been practiced in particular. However the study on pigments necessitates overall and systematic research because it is difficult to understand periodical and regional use of pigments. by fractional studies. Therefore this research investigates the coloring materials and painting techniques of the scroll painting depicting preaching scene of Sakyamuni Buddha in Daeungjeon Hall, a main hall of Bulguk temple, through scientific analysis and comparison of various pigments which had been applied to the buddhist paintings of Joseon Dynasty. Consequently, it is confirmed that the scroll painting used pigments of white lead[$2PbCO_3{\cdot}Pb(OH)_2$] for ground layer and used mixture of different pigments such as cinnabar (HgS) minium($Pb_3O_4$) malachite($2CuO{\cdot}CO_2{\cdot}H_2O$) hematite($Fe_2O_3$) gold(Ag) for presenting various colors on the painting layer. It has been also believed that mineral pigments were applied to the scroll painting, yet it is difficult to confirm whether it is natural or synthetic pigments because the crystal structures of pigments were not analyzed. The results of this study, however, provide useful reference data for the understanding of the components of pigments and manufacturing techniques of buddhist scroll paintings, in particular, of Joseon Dynasty.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.22-35
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• 2021

Recently, as the climate changes rapidly and the prevalence of airborne fine particulate matter increases, the pattern of pollutants in the atmospheric environment is also changing. Therefore, the importance of studying the stability of pigments used in colored cultural properties is emerging. Hoecheong is an inorganic blue glass pigment called smalt; it is made by using cobalt as a coloring element in potash glass, and was widely used in colored cultural assets, such as murals and paintings. In this study, we collected three other hoecheong pigments to analyze their properties. The percentage of Co and K contained are different according to the manufacturer, and the smalt-3 sample has a lower cobalt content (15.1 wt.%) and higher potassium content (29.6 wt.%). After this analysis, colored specimens were prepared. Prepared specimens were exposed to ultra-violet rays, CO₂/NO₂, and NaCl, which are known to have the greatest influence on the stability of pigments. We found that factors affecting the color stability were NO₂ gas, ultra-violet rays, and water-soluble salts (NaCl). Among them, NO₂ has the most severe impact on color change of the pigments. Results of the component analysis showed that the color change depends on the potassium and cobalt content of the hoecheong pigment. Among the specimens, smalt-3 showed the most vulnerability after exposure to NO₂ gas and water-soluble salts. Pigment film stability is affected by watersoluble salts, giving rise not only to color change, but also weakening the physical properties of the film. However, there was no significant change in composition and color after exposure to CO₂ gas. In conclusion, we found that hoecheong pigments underwent color change and increased instability of the coating film when exposed to any of the atmospheric environmental factors used in this study, except for CO₂.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.281-293
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• 2022

We examined degradation characteristics of lead based pigments(white lead, Red lead, Litharge) according to atmospheric environmet condition, for example atmospheric gas(CO₂, NO₂) and soluble salt. Painted samples not changed material compositions but were occured the color change(𝚫E 4~31) after exposed UV irradiation. All sample were not affected by CO₂ gas not only color but chemical composition. However, samples were remakably changed color exposed NO₂ gas and it was formed secondary product like as lead nitrate. Such as red lead and white lead samples' color difference were 𝚫E 2 and 𝚫 10 respectively and became dark, along with litharge became bright and color difference was 𝚫E 5 after react with NO₂ gas. It confirm that NO₂ was influential factor than CO₂ in the case of same concentration. Furthermore salt spray test was taken to figure out soluble salt influence in fine dust. The result showed noticeable color change and secondary product was formed on samples' surface. The glue film peeled off or hole, and color changed around the secondary products. After salt spray, XRD pattern showed decrease peak intensity and lower crystalinity. As a result of salt spray test, white lead was formed new product litharge and litharge was formed litharge and minium. According to the results, influential atmospheric factors for conservation of paint pigments were UV, NO₂, soluble salt, and litharge was most weakness throughout lead base pigments.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.24
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• pp.81-98
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• 2020

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive nondestructive analysis of Portrait of Master Gowun at Wunamyeongdang Shrine (Hereafter, Portrait of Choe Chiwon), Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 187 of Gyeongsangnam-do, including the underlying images drawn at the time of its production and the pigments present. The analysis revealed that the portrait was produced in 1793 at Ssanggyesa Temple in Hadong, Gyeongsangnam-do, which makes it the earliest known example among the extant portraits of Choe Chiwon. X-ray examination found images of a half-length boy monk and a full-length boy monk on either side of the portrait, which had been painted over and became invisible to the naked eye. XRF analysis of the pigments indicated that white lead was used for white, cinnabar and red lead for red, malachite for green, azurite for blue, and gold for gold. It was revealed that the overpainted boy monks were colored using the same pigments as those applied in the portrait of the main figure. It is hoped that the analysis of the pigments used for the boy monks can provide basic materials for research on the production of copied portraits and local Buddhist paintings. Also, additional research drawing upon other fields of study is required to examine the details of the inscription of the portrait.