• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.569-580
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• 2018

The possibility of applying poulticing was studied for removing Paraloid B72, a resin used for fixing an earthen mural painting. Five types of poultices were selected from clay and gel types, and acetone, ethanol, and methyl ethyl ketone(MEK) were used as mixed solvents. The possibility of mixing between the poultice and solvent was investigated, and then the spreadability, fluidity, acidity, drying properties, and solubility of the poultices were examined to confirm the characteristics. A poultice agent, which is suitable for applying to a mural painting, was selected and applied to a painting layer sample coated with Paraloid B72. As a result, all painting layers were good condition at under 50% of the solvent. The removal efficiency of Paraloid B72 was more effective when most of the solvents were used at 50%, rather than at 25%. However, it is difficult to mix 50% of MEK and ethanol with the gel-type poultices. When used at 25%, the removal performance was poorer than that at 50%, but the mixing with all the poultices was successful. In addition, the adsorption and removal power of the gel-type poultice were better than those of the clay-type, but the latter was expected to be more suitable in short-time cases due to its high drying speed. The results of this study show that the dissolution performance varies depending on the poultices and solvents. Hence, the poultice and solvent should be selectively applied, considering the fixative of the mural to be removed.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.334-346
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• 2022

The manufacturing technique was studied through the structure and material characteristics of the walls and the painting layers of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva mural of Geungnakjeon Hall, Daewonsa Temple. The mural is painted and connected to the earthen wall and the Junggit, and the wall is composed of wooden laths as a frame, the first and middle layers, the finishing layer, and the painting layer. The first layer, middle layer, and finishing layer constituting the wall were made by mixing weathered soil and sand. It was confirmed that the first layer had a high content of loess below silt, and the finishing layer had a high content of fine-sand and very fine sand. For the painting layer, a ground layer was prepared using soil-based mineral pigments, and lead white, white clay, atacamite, minium, and cinnabar (or vermilion) pigments were used on top of it. The Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva mural was confirmed to belong to a category similar to the soil-made buddhist mural paintings of Joseon Dynasty. However, it shows characteristics such as a high content of fine sand in the finishing layer and overlapping over other colors. Such material and structural characteristics can constitute important information for future mural conservation status diagnoses and conservation treatment plans.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.553-564
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• 2017

This report compared and analyzed the degree of surface change and results of a deterioration experiment to assess the possibility of using Dobak glue as an adhesive in the fossilizing treatment of the paint layer in earthen mural paintings. The weathering experiments were performed with a color-difference meter (CR-400, MINOLTA). After the experiment, Cinnabar 3% specimens, which exhibited diverse changes in the durability test, were additionally tested with a reflection-transmission device (CARY-5000, AGILENT). Post UV degradation, most of the Dobak-glue samples exhibited lesser color change than animal-glue samples, and after moisture absorption and drying, the 0.5% and 3% Dobak samples displayed a lower degree of change in the value of color difference. Furthermore, results of the reflection-transmission test after deterioration indicated that Dobak glue presented a lesser color change than animal glue. Therefore, if Dobak glue is used as a consolidating agent, discoloration on account of degradation is minimal.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.44-61
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• 2015

Mural tomb in Goa-ri(Goryeong) built in the 6th Century Gaya period investigated precisely by the scientific method. They were used to optical equipments for investigation and made a damage map according to the damaging types. The mortar layer was mostly exfoliated from the rest of the wall except for the burial chamber ceiling and corridor ceiling. Also painting layers rarely not observed. Most of the paintings were damaged except lotus painting in burial chamber ceiling. Various damage types that exfoliation, earthen dirt, film coating were found in murals. Damage factors of mural were the porous characteristics of mortar layer and the movement of moisture in the murals. They were caused physical damage such as crack, exfoliation. It was getting worse and causing to secondary damage like earthen dirt, film coating.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2022

This study examined the production technique of bracket murals in Daeungjeon Hall, Gaeamsa Temple by conducting a analysis of their wall structure, material characteristics, and painting layers. Wall was a single-branch structure with support layer, middle layer, finishing layer, and painting layer. The support layer, middle layer and finishing layer, were produced by mixing sand (quartz, feldspars etc.), and loess. The ratio of above medium sand to below fine sand was approximately 0.7 : 9.3 in the support layer, 4 : 6 in the middle layer and 6 : 4 in the finishing layer, which had a more percentage of above medium sand than the support layer. The analysis of the painting layer showed that natural soil pigment was used to establish a relatively ground layer of up to 50 ㎛, and pigments such as Lead sulfate, atacamite and mercury sulfide were painted on top of the layer. This study's results confirmed that the bracket mural paintings in Gaeamsa Temple are within the category of the production style of murals during the Joseon period. However, the points that the middle layer was formed several times, the significant difference in particle size distribution between the wall, and the absence of chopped straw in the support layer are a feature of bracket mural paintings in Gaeamsa Temple. These properties of murals as material and structure may be viewed for correlation with the degree of damage to wall structure of mural painting and would serve as an important reference to diagnosis the conservation conditions of murals or prepare conservation treatments.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.148-165
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• 2017

Mural paintings drawn inside ancient tombs are very sensitive to changes in the environment such as temperature and humidity, especially the finish layer of the tomb murals differ in preservability depending on the material properties and humidity conditions. In this study, I examined the mural painting of Songsan-ri Tomb No.6, where the finish layer was made of earth, and identified the physical changes that can occur due to drying, depending on the material properties of the finish layer. I found out through particle size analysis that the finish layer of the mural painting in Songsan-ri Tomb No.6 is about 85.0wt% below silt, about 14.0wt% clay therein, mostly composed of silt and below clay. I also found out through physical property evaluation that surface change rate of samples showed the largest change at 15.5% in reproduced finish layer sample made up of bentonite, followed by 7.8% of reproduced finish layer sample made up of celadon soil, 6.3% of reproduced finish layer sample made up of loess, 6.2% of reproduced finish layer sample composed of white clay and the same order of change in appearance was confirmed in each sample consisted of soil. In addition, it showed the same trend of surface change rate, and the bentonite condition showed the largest change, in the measurement of shrinkage rate and expansion rate. The experiment shows that the finish layer composed of soil is affected by cohesion among particles according to the content of fine parts and the relationship between the agglomeration due to the content of the differentiated part and the stress due to the expansibility depending on the kind of the clay mineral etc. Therefore, it can be concluded that the physical damage occurred in the mural painting finish layer of the Songsan-ri Tomb No.6 is related to the factors such as the material characteristics of the soil and the highly humid environmental change inside the tomb.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.701-711
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• 2021

This study identifies the structure and material characteristics of the mural paintings in Daeungjeon at Ssanggyesa temple in Jindo by conducting scientific research and analysis including microscope examination, SEM-EDS, XRD, particle size analysis, and others. According to the analyses, the murals were considered to be of a typical soil mural style for Korean Buddhist murals, given that the walls were made of sand and soil and the murals had layers consisting of wall layers and a finishing layer. However, some finishing layer used calcite, while some ground layer used zinc white beneath the thick paint. In addition, there were similar features to those found on the surfaces of oil paintings such as cracks along with the paint layer, high gloss on surfaces, and thick brush strokes in many areas. It was found that the walls on which the murals were painted were made of soil but that the paint layer was created based on the oil painting technique using drying oil. It determined that the murals were painted in a unique painting style that is rarely found in other typical Buddhist murals in Korea.