• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.296-305
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• 2020

Konbaung Dynasty was the last unified dynasty that ruled Myanmar from 18^th to 19^th century. During this time Buddhist art flourished in Myanmar due to the interest of the rulers toward their traditional culture. Metal decorative artifacts in the 18^th century are classified into structures and Buddha statues. They are further subdivided into gilt-bronze and bronze objects, depending on their material component. Three-dimensional gilt-bronze decorative artifacts were cast with a brass alloy of Cu-Zn-Sn-Pb and their surfaces were gilded with extremely thin gold leaves (less than 1 ㎛ in thickness). The gilded layer approximately comprised 10 wt% silver in addition to the main element, gold. The lack of Hg in the gilded layer, indicated that the amalgam gilding technique was not applied. The analysis results indicated that the lacquered gilding technique was applied to the objects. Bronze decorative artifacts without gilding were cast with materials containing Cu-Sn-Pb. The bronze pavilions and bronze Buddha staues were crafted using the same alloy of high-tin bronze, which approximately contained 20 wt% Sn. No heat treatment was applied to reduce the brittleness of the objects after they were cast with a large amount of Sn. The most significant difference between the gilt-bronze and bronze decorative artifacts lie in their elemental compositions. The gilt-bronze decorative artifacts with their gilded surface were manufactured using brass containing zinc, while the unplated bronze decorative artifacts were composed of bronze containing tin. Artifacts of the same type and size are classified differently depending on the materials utilized in the surface treatment such as gilding.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.23
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• pp.91-108
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• 2020

This study conducted non-destructive analyses of the material features of seven gilt-bronze crowns of Baekje Kingdom that were excavated in the Cheonan, Gongju, Seosan, Iksan, Naju, and Hapcheon areas. A typical Baekje gilt-bronze crown has a conical inner crown and an outer crown embellished with vertical ornaments on the front and the back, a tube topped with a hemispherical ornament, and other ornamentation. Diverse designs (e.g., dragon, bonghwang, flowers, and plants) were applied using a range of techniques, including repoussé, chasing, openwork, and engraving. Formal features differ among the crowns according to their period of production and site of excavation. The substrate metal of the crowns is either pure copper or mixed copper with a small amount of lead. The crowns were amalgam-plated on the surface with pure gold or gold with a small amount of silver. The crown from Okjeon Tomb No. 23 in Hapcheon in the ancient Gaya region has a high silver content, which appears to be a regional feature. In addition, this crown from Okjeon Tomb No. 23, which can be categorized as Baekje-style gilt-bronze crown, seems to be plated at most three times, while the gilt-bronze crowns found within Baekje Kingdom territory were plated once or twice.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.92-107
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• 2018

In 2013~2016, gilt-bronze shoes were excavated from the ancient tombs in Jeongchon Village located at Bogam-ri, Dasi-myeon in Naju. They are estimated to have been made in the late 5th or early 6th centuries. The gilt-bronze shoes are significant in that they serve to explicate the relationship between the center of Baekje and the local forces in the Yeongsan River Basin. This study's specific focus was the gilt-bronze shoes from the ancient tombs in Jeongchon Village. Based on the findings, a restoration drawing was designed and restored products were manufactured by considering metalwork techniques used to manufacture the original ones. At first, manufacturing techniques were tested by using a scientific analysis and visual observation. The manufacturing method, structures, and patterns of the gilt-bronze shoes were closely examined. Then, a design drawing of gilt-bronze shoes was created through field measurement and they were recreated on the basis of the analysis. The original form of the restored products were manufactured through cutting out the outward form, bore carving, engraving, molding, plating, and an assembly process. In the restoration process, this study examined the formal characteristics of gilt-bronze shoes, manufacturing techniques, and archetypes during Baekje's late Hanseong era. Products restored from this study are expected to be used as achievements for more easily understanding the culture of Baekje.

• 보존과학연구
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• s.23
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• pp.149-162
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• 2002

Gilt bronze locks(Treasure No. 1141) excavated from Hancheonsa temple are artifacts of Goryeo Dynasty. The locks underwent a conservation process from October 2001 to July 2002. The process included cleaning and the application of corrosion inhibitors, Benzotriazolesolution, as well as reinforcement treatment with Paraloid NAD-10 solution,an acrylic resin. Non-destructive XRF analysis unveil that the artifacts are made of an alloy of copper(Cu), tin(Sn) and lead(Pb), but the gilt layer is too thin to analyze the purity of the gold or the exact production method. Gilt bronze locks are important materials because they preserve all the structures of locks in Goryeo Dynasty to the smallest detail. The surface pattern is revealed through the conservation process and components of the alloy through material analysis.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.202-223
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• 2020

This purpose of this article is to identify the original form of the gilt-bronze ornamental pieces unearthed from the east part of the third wooden coffin in the Naju Bogam-ri Jeongchon (NBJ) tombs. The gilt-bronze ornamental pieces were all small, measuring less than 3cm in size and about 0.2cm in thickness, and only 19 or more small pieces were identified. In each piece of gilt decoration, a circular perforation, convex pattern, leaf-shaped spangle (瓔珞), 2 small holes for attaching spangles and gilt-bronze thread, 2 small holes for unknown purposes, and a continuous dot pattern of about 0.05 cm can be observed. As a result, it was judged that the gilt-bronze pieces excavated from the NBJ No. 1 chamber were part of the Headband Crown. Therefore, type 1 and type 3 of the gilt-bronze pieces were determined to be part of the Headband, and type 2 to be part of the Vertical Ornaments. Based on previous results, two types of restoration were proposed for NBJ No. 1 tomb gilt-bronze ornaments. In the first restoration proposal, there are wave-shaped dot patterns on the top and bottom of the crown, and the middle decoration is a spangle, circular perforation and spangle and a convex-pattern. In the second restoration plan, one row of convex patterns was added among the decorations in the middle of the first. The same type of vertical ornament was found in the Sochang (小倉) collection crown, but the overall structure and shape of the crown were completely different. On the other hand, the use of small holes of unknown use, as seen in the crown, was presumed to represent holes for fixing to a cap of organic matter. The restored NBJ No. 1 tomb gilt-bronze crown is characterized by circular punching, which makes it difficult to find an analogy in the other Three Kingdoms-period crowns. Unlike the existing halls in Gaya, Mahan, and Baekje, each district has a unique shape and decoration. The gilt-bronze crown excavated from NBJ No. 1 tomb is thought to reflect these characteristics.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.340-356
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• 2021

We have tried the experimental research of lost-wax casting to reconstruct Gilt-Bronze Pensive Bodhisattva; preliminary and reconstruction experiment based on ancient texts. Main object to reconstruct is Korean National Treasure No.83, Gilt-Bronze Pensive Bodhisattva (Maitreya), then we measure alloy ratio and casting method based on the scientific analysis. Other impurities were removed from the base metal components(copper : tin : lead) and their ratio was set to 95.5 : 6.5 : 3 where the ratios for tin and lead were increased by 2.5% each. The piece-mold casting method was used, and piece-mold casting experiments were carried out twice in this study but supplementary research on piece-mold casting was necessary. The microstructure was confirmed to be typical cast microstructure and the component analysis result was similar to that of the prior study. Analysis of the chemical composition is confirmed to copper, tin, lead, and zinc, and the chemical composition of the matrix was 87.8%Cu-7.5%Sn-2.7%Pb-2.1%Zn, and similar to previous experimental research. Also resulted in the detection of small impurity in Zn. Analysis of the mould revealed that the mould was fabricated by adding quartz and organic matter for structural stability, fire resistance, and air permeability. We expect that our research will contribute to provide base data for advanced researches in future.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1998

The production techniques of a gilt-bronze buckle which was presumably a product of the Koryo dynasty were investigated. The X-ray area map indicates that the gilt layer was made by gilt-bronze method. EDS analysis shows that the gilt layer contains copper as well as gold. The microstructure of a textile adhered to the back of the buckle reveals that the material is woven hemp. Triangular and semicircular chisels were used to engrave patterns. After the boundaries of the patterns were engraved with triangular chisels the internal regions were carved with semicircular patterns. The procedure and the shape of the chisels were also investigated.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.4
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• pp.57-61
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• 2003

From the stupa of Sujongsa-Temple, located in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do province, was excavated a celadon jar with lid, a gilt-bronze nine-storied miniature pagoda and a silver-plate hexagonal miniature shrine, etc. Among them, the gilt-bronze miniature pagoda has been known as a gilt-bronze product since most of its surface has copper tint and the base part has bronze corrosion. Its formal title registered on the Cultural Properties Administration also begins with "a gilt-bronze". However, it was supposed to be a gold product in many aspects: the color and status of the surface, degree of the bronze corrosion creation and the metal thread joining the wind bell. So the necessity to prove its material by a scientific analysis was raised. We examined it with nondestructive method. The results were traces of open-working on many parts of the surface, but no traces of gilding. Moreover, as we perform an XRF analysis, the main component were gold and silver(16%) and some impurities such as copper and iron were found. Therefore, it could be inferred that this miniature pagoda is a gold product.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.23
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• pp.1-16
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• 2020

In this paper, Gilt-bronze Standing Avaolkiteshvara (National Treasure No. 293, M355) excavated at Gyuam-ri in Buyeo was observed with a microscope to identify the production technique applied to it. It was also analyzed with XRF and hard X-ray to identify the composition and the surface treatment techniques and casting method applied. In this statue, Avalokiteshvara is standing upright on a lotus pedestal. The lotus designs on the pedestal and those on the shawl flowing down on both sides of the statue are characteristic of Buddhist statues from the seventh century or later. The use of supports to affix the outer and inner molds and traces of injected cast were observed in the interior of the pedestal. The blisters on the arms and pedestal created during the bronze casting indicate the use of lost-wax casting, which was popularly employed for the production of mid- or small-sized gilt-bronze Buddhist statues in ancient times. The composition analysis identified a copper-tin-lead ternary alloy in the interior of the statue that was conventional used in the sixth and seventh centuries. It is likely that this simple alloy was used to facilitate casting and produce clearer expressions of designs and ornaments on the statue. Mercury (Hg) was detected on the surface of the statue, indicating the use of amalgam-plating with gold (Au) dissolved in mercury. This plating method is a common surface treatment technique used for small gilt-bronze statutes in ancient Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.57 no.1 s.110
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• pp.93-104
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• 2007

This study is considered about the fabrics culture of Baekje Period by analyzing the fabrics pieces at a inner part of the It-bronze shoes found at the tomb of King Mu-ryeong in 1971 AD. The analysis methods of the fabrics pieces are a photographing of fabrics pieces surface by VMS, Digital camera(Nikon Coolpix 995) and the analysis of samples by SEM, XRD and FT-IR. It is assumed this fabrics pieces are the inner shoes, which consisted of compound woven silk at outward, some of tabby and a hemp at inward and the braids for decoration, of the gilt-bronze shoes. The features are as follows. 1. All of compound woven silk are the warp-faced compound tabby of plain fabrics and the density is various from high to low one. Compound woven silk which is attached the gilt-bronze shoes of the tomb of King Mu-ryeong weaves in high density by a thick thread. The fibers material of compound woven silk prove to be a silk by the analysis of wrap samples by SEM, XRD and FT-IR. 2. Tabby are excavated under the condition which attached on reverse side of compound woven silk. Those ran classify two types. First, the fine weaving by high density of wrap and weft. Second, the loose warp weaving with one warp and some of weft. 3. Hemp is almost ramie by SEM analysis and the density is different. Ramie which supposed to be attached Guem has the very low density. In addition to, Ramie pieces, excavated in condition and weaved finely, proved the conspicuous weaving skill in Baekje period. 4. Various kinds of braid are found and these ones classifies by fiber material and entwining way. Two types out of these are the one of silk thread, decorates the upper, middle parts of compound woven silk shoes and the other of hemp thread, decorates the lower parts.