Earticle

In the digital era, large archives of information and Internet accessibility make information search, including image search, easier and affordable, even from remote locations. Information transmission and sharing can be performed instantly, at any moment. In the case of images, there are risks of transmitting and recklessly sharing intentionally modified images. Such modified images can also be transmitted and used as an additional source of information by followers. In this study, historical portraits of Yu Kil-Chun are shown, who was the first Korean student to study in both Japan and the United States. He was an intellectual, writer, politician, and independence activist of Korea’s late Joseon Dynasty. Using image processing software, the portrait images were compared to investigate aging effects and artificial modifications. Statistics of red (R), green (G), blue (B), and L*, a*, and b* values of every pixel in the selected identical areas of the portraits were compared to identify possible causes of variations, including aging effects and artificial modifications. Sepia toning, used in black and white photographs until the 1930s, and modern digital sepia toning can be very confusing owing to their aging effects. The importance of preservation of physical copies and preservation of context (interconnections between data and between documents) is discussed from archiving and conservation science perspectives.

Safflower, a natural dye representing red, is the dye that materials and dyeing method are recorded in the literature, including materials and dyeing. Although the safflower is the same, the ash used as a mordant is recorded differently in each literature, which greatly affects the aesthetic perspective in realizing the traditional safflower red. Therefore, the optimal conditions for realizing the traditional safflower red were sought. The experiment was conducted by pH investigation, dyeing and color analysis by dyeing solution water, concentration, and temperature by ash, and the unique color of red was confirmed. A s a result of t he test, t he pH p oint o f time when t he uniq ue c olor w as e xpressed was 11.53 as goosefoot ash (natural bedrock water), which was 1:100 for concentration and 70°C for temperature, which was easier to extract red pigment than other ash, indicating that it is suitable for safflower dyeing. The analysis of the ash showed that K and Si play an important role in dyeing, especially Si, which is an element that inhibits carthamon. The color of red was similar to that of KS Standard vivid purplish red in the ash of the goosefoot, and the other ash was deep purplish pink. In the light of findings, it was possible to quantify the dyeing method through traditional materials and find the standard color of red color, and it is judged to be a basic data for studying the unique color of natural materials.

To extend the application of digital technology to the replication of artifacts, meticulous details of the process and the diversity of three-dimensional (3D) printing output materials need to be supplemented. Thus, in this study, a bronze mirror with Hwangbichangcheon inscription was digitalized by 3D scanning, converted into a voxel model, and virtual conservation treatment was performed using a haptic device. Furthermore, the digital mold of the bronze mirror completed by Boolean modeling was printed using a 3D sand-printer. Such contactless replication based on digital technology reflects the stability, precision, expressivity, collectivity, durability, and economic feasibility of artifacts. Its application can be further extended to cultural products as well as such areas as education, exhibition, and research. It is expected to be in high demand for metal artifacts that require casting. If empirical studies through experimental research on casting are supplemented in the future, it could extend the application of digital technology-based contactless replication methods.

This study analyzes six slags excavated from the iron making site in Gogi-ri, Namwon, Korea to understand the characteristics of the ruins, and to confirm the iron making process performed at the time. The chemical components of the iron making by-products from the Gogi-ri site were analyzed, and the findings indicate total Fe contents between 23.24% and 37.56%, which are lower than the typical total Fe content found in ancient iron making processes. The deoxidation agent contents of the slags ranged from 43.88% to 58.13%, which are higher than the typical deoxidation agent content of ancient iron making processes. The high content suggests smooth separation between iron and slags, and TiO2 detected from the site suggests the use of materials with high titanium content in the iron making in the region. As for the microstructures of the slags, some slags have long pillar-shaped fayalites, while others have pillar-shaped wüstite along with ulvöspinel. Slags from the forging furnace show hammer scales created by both the earlier stages and later stages of forging work. The findings suggest that the iron making site in Gogi-ri, Namwon, Korea used to be an iron making facility where a full range of iron making process was carried out ranging from smelting to forging, and the ironmakers used a wide array of technologies to manufacture iron products.

In this study, a scientific analysis of the gold leaf layers and internal structure of the Clay Seated Vairocana Buddha Triad in Seonunsa Temple, Gochang (Treasure No. 1752) was conducted. The surface of the Buddha statues is a gold foil, and the gold leaf layer consists of four layers. The gold leaf layer first composed on the molding clay was produced in the order of lacquer-fabrics-lacquer-gold foil. Subsequently, it was confirmed that the work was performed three times in the same way. The composition of the Buddha statues was divided into the head, body or upper body, lower body, and pedestal. The body was made in a cylindrical form by connecting vertically oriented wooden materials, and the head and lower body were also connected to the body in an empty form. Thus, the head, body, and lower body are grafted structures that are connected to a single Bokjang-gong. It was confirmed that the Clay Seated Vairocana Buddha Triad in Seonunsa Temple was made using wood materials for the basic form, after which the detailed form was created with molding clay, and the surface was finished with a process of layering gold foil and substances presumed to be lacquer.

This study investigated mechanical property changes by measuring compression factors, resilience, and compressive strength according to packaging pattern and filling rate to identify the applicability of cultural heritage packaging using thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU). Research results indicate that the cross-shaped 3D pattern showed the best resilience when the internal filling rate was 20%, while the octet pattern was the best when the filling rate was either 40 and 60%. The octet pattern had the best mechanical properties and stability with resistance capacities of 20.79 kgf/cm2, 40.40 kgf/cm2, and 82.23 kgf/cm2 at 38%, 39%, and 40% recovery speeds, respectively, depending on the internal filling rate (20, 40, 60%). Based on these results, basic data on the applicability, stability, and reliability of 3D cultural heritage packaging materials using TPU materials were obtained.

The purpose of this study is to scientifically analyze physicochemical characteristics of the roof tiles used for palaces in the Joseon Dynasty which stored in Changdeokgung material storage and Seooreung Jaesil and the modern handmade ones which made by N company to understand the differences between their manufacturing techniques. Through chromaticity, cross-sectional observation, component analysis, and crystal structure analysis, it was possible to confirm the physicochemical properties and fired properties of the roof tile. Roof tiles from the Joseon Dynasty have a wider colorimetric range and higher apparent porosity and water absorption, on average, than the modern roof tiles. The cross section of the Joseon Dynasty roof tiles shows that most clay minerals have not been vitrified, remaining in the form of atypical particles, while the modern roof tiles have denser clay materials. X-ray diffraction analysis identified low-temperature minerals such as micas in Joseon roof tiles but no peak of these minerals was observed in the modern roof tiles, implying that the modern ones are fired at higher temperature than the Joseon ones. Therefore, the modern roof tiles are fired at higher temperature and have higher density than the Joseon ones due to the use of pugmills. The general content of main ingredients was similar between the two. Additionally, the principal component analysis of trace elements in the Joseon roof tiles showed that most samples were from similar areas. It seems that the Joseon roof tiles were manufactured using soils supplied from a specific region at the same timeframe and their consistency in the content of principal components implies that they also have similar mix proportions of clay.