• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.120-129
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to analyze the chemical composition of smalt pigments used in 10 large Buddhist paintings in the Joseon Dynasty using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and to clarify the material and characteristics by observing morphological characteristics using polarized light microscopy and a scanning electron microscope. Through chemical composition analysis, the smalt of all 10 large Buddhist paintings is judged to be potash glass using SiO₂ as a former and K₂O as a flux. In addition to the components related to cobalt ore used as a colorant, the paintings were found to contain high levels of As₂O₃, BaO, and PbO. The smalt particles did not have specific forms, and were blue in color, with various chromaticity. In some particles, conchoidal fracture, spherical bubbles, and impurities were observed. Through backscattered electron images, it was found that the smalt from paintings produced in the early 18th century AD had a high level of As, but the smalt from paintings produced from the mid-18th century AD onwards exhibited various contrast differences from particle to particle, and there was smalt with high levels of As, Ba, and Pb. Through the above results, the large Buddhist paintings in the Joseon Dynasty are divided into three smalt types. Type A is a type with high As₂O₃, type B is a type with high BaO, and type C is a type with high PbO. Looking at the three types of smalt pigments by the period of production, although some in-between periods were not detected, type A was confirmed to have been used from 1705 to 1808, while type B and type C were shown to have appeared in 1750 and used until 1808. This reveals that only one type of smalt was used until the early 18th century AD, and from the middle of the 18th century AD, several types of smalt were mixed and used in one large Buddhist painting. Studies such as this research are expected to provide insights into the characteristics of the smalt pigments used to produce large Buddhist paintings at the time.