Earticle

Colour consistency is an important consideration when selecting pigments used on works of art. In this study, we analyse the colour difference between two sets of synthetic blue glass pigments acquired at least 8 years apart from the same manufacturer in Japan. The old pigment set (unused, dry powder with four different grain sizes) appears faded compared to the new set. These pigments are made available for artistic use, commonly in Nihonga or Japanese paintings. Raman spectroscopy and SEM-EDS results characterize these pigments as cobalt aluminate spinels dissolved in leaded glaze, a special class of complex coloured inorganic pigments that is not well-understood in the field of conservation. Colour difference between the old and new pigments with four different grain sizes were quantified by analysing photomicrographs with image analysis software. Blue pigments with coarse and extremely fine grains showed significant colour change compared to pigments with medium and fine grain sizes. The high occurrence of crystallites in the finer grains give a final colour that is bluer and lighter. Possible causes for the colour difference including manufacturing methods and storage environment are discussed.

Underwater photographing and image recording are essential for pre-excavation survey and during excavation in underwater archaeology. Unlike photographing on land, all underwater images suffer various quality degradations such as shape distortions, color shift, blur, low contrast, high noise levels and so on. Outcome is very often heavily photographing equipment and photographer dependent. Excavation schedule, weather conditions, and water conditions can put burdens on divers. Usable images are very limited compared to the efforts. In underwater archaeological study in very turbid water such as in the Yellow Sea (between mainland China and the Korean peninsula), underwater photographing is very challenging. In this study, off-site image distortion and color compensation techniques using an image processing/analysis software is investigated as an alternative image quality enhancement method. As sample images, photographs taken during the excavation of 800-year-old Taean Mado Shipwrecks in the Yellow Sea in 2008-2010 were mainly used. Significant enhancement in distortion and color compensation of archived images were obtained by simple post image processing using image processing/analysis software (PicMan) customized for given view ports, lenses and cameras with and without optical axis offsets. Post image processing is found to be very effective in distortion and color compensation of both recent and archived images from various photographing equipment models and configurations. Merits and demerit of in-situ, distortion and color compensated photographing with sophisticated equipment and conventional photographing equipment, which requires post image processing, are compared.

The study, iron-making process was examined through the scientific analysis of six by-products that were obtained during iron making at the Songdu-ri site in Jincheon. The total Fe content of the slags excavated from the Songdu-ri site was 36.29–54.61 wt%, whereas the deoxidation agent was 26.48–49.08 wt%. The compound analysis result indicated that fayalite and wüstite are the main compounds in slag. Furthermore, the microstructure analysis result confirmed the presence of fayalite and wüstite in the slag. It can be inferred from the flat shape in a bright matrix structure of the hammer scales that forging was performed in the latter stage. The Raman micro-spectroscopy results confirmed that the surface was hematite (Fe2O4), middle layer was magnetite (Fe3O4), and inner layer was wüstite (FeO). The presence of smelting and smithing slags, spheroid hammer scales, and flake hammer scales suggests that at the Songdu-ri site, iron-making process is carried out by division of labor into producing iron bloom through direct smelting, refining and forge welding, and ingot production.

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 μm, 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.

The Bigyeokjincheolloe (bomb shell), a scientific cultural heritage, has outstanding historical value for sustaining a gunpowder weapon of Joseon. In this study, the bomb shell was modeled through three-dimensional (3D) scanning centered on the external shape and γ-ray radiography-based on the internal shape. In particular, to improve the contrast in the radiographic image, optimization and image processing were performed. After these processes, the thickness of the inner wall (2.5 cm on average) and the positions of the three mold chaplets were clearly revealed. For exhibition purposes, the 3D model of the bomb shell was output to a 3D printer and the output was rendered realistic by coloring. In addition, the internal functional elements, such as Mokgok, fuse, mud, gunpowder, and caltrops, were reproduced through handwork. The results will contribute to the study of digital heritages in two ways. First, the internal and external shapes of the bomb shell were modeled by fusing two different technologies, namely, 3D scanning and γ-ray radiography. Second, the internal shape of the bomb shell was constructed from the original form data and the reproduction was utilized for museum exhibitions. The developed modeling approach will greatly expand the scope of museum exhibitions, from those centered on historical content to those centered on scientific content.

Many investigations have been conducted on the biological damage and environmental conditions necessary to preserve the Janggyeong Panjeon and Daejanggyeongpan (woodblocks). We performed a survey on the concentration and diversity of airborne fungi in the Janggyeong Panjeon and compared them with the results of a survey from 2012. The temperature of the Beopbojeon building was slightly lower, while the relative humidity was higher than those found at the Sudarajang building. The concentration of airborne fungi in the Beopbojeon was 1.44-fold that of the Sudarajang. It was confirmed that the concentration and diversity of airborne fungi in the Janggyeong Panjeon differed depending on the sampling site. In total, 23 fungal genera were identified from the air samples, and 11 fungal and 1 bacterial genera were identified from the surface of the woodblocks. Among these, only five types of fungi were commonly distributed in the indoor air and surface of the Daejanggyeongpan; however, 58.3% of the fungi identified on the surface of the woodblocks were not observed in the in the air samples. The surface-dwelling fungi may accumulate dust to form microbial communities over time.

A paulownia wood has been widely used with various advantages as its low weight, permeability, convenient workability and aesthetic patterns for a long time. However, the related empirical researches and simultaneous evaluations of functionality are insufficient compared with acid-free archival boxes for now. In this study, the indoor and outdoor temperature and relative humidity control and heat release rate were evaluated under the controlled and uncontrolled circumstance in 2018. The paulownia wood storage box showed superior control effect of relative humidity than the acid-free archival box in constantly uncontrolled environment. Also, the possibility of the flame diffusion from the surface of the materials was higher for the paulownia materials, and the acid-free archival box showed more dangerous patterns in the early stages of the fire.