• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.144-153
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• 2021

Gwanghwadang-Wonsam was designated as National Folklore Cultural Heritage No. 52 in 1979, it is in good condition. However, a problem is the attached a phoenix insignia badge that did not exist when it was designated recently. As it became known as the only purple Wonsam artifact with "phoenix insignia", raising the need for its conservation. In this regard, scientific analysis was required to correct misinformation about designated cultural assets and restore the original designated state by analyzing the history of the Gwanghwadang-Wonsam, other relics of the phoenix insignia and its making design patterns. An X-ray fluorescence analysis was used to confirm that the Phoenix insignia's metal threads were titanium-plated silver. Phoenix insignia using titanium-plated gold thread was not identified in Gwanghwadang-Wonsam photographs in 1986, and the TiN-type membrane plating method was used in various industries in the 1990s, which can be estimated to be attached in the early and mid-1990s. Especially, the scientific analysis results from the X-ray fluorescence analysis in this study provide key evidence for conservation processing. This study demonstrates the importance of investigating relics and similar artifacts in the conservation process of inherited relics and as a precedent for restoration that corrects misinformation about designated cultural properties.