1. Conservation Treatment of Soft Earthenware Excavated from the Foot of Hoehyeon in Nam-san, Seoul - Focusing on the Patternless Earthenware of the Former Half of the Bronze Age Excavated from the Capital of Hanyang

The city of Seoul is a historical place where a variety of residential areas and their vestiges have continued to exist from the prehistoric ages. Several residential areas and earthenware relics at the former half of the Bronze Age have recently been discovered in droves from the foot of Hoehyeon in Nam-san, the capital of Hanyang. Of the discovered relics, storehouses and 216 pieces of large patternless earthenwares were identified; thus, conservation treatment was immediately carried out.

Numerous soft earthenware fragments were changed into new fragments that could be joined through strengthening treatment after they were washed for two times. They were then classified by color, shape, and thickness. Moreover, a series of conservation treatment processes were conducted to complete their shape by following the order of joining, reinforcement, and restoration.

On the other hand, experts tried to identify the mineral composition of the remaining unjoined earthenwares and found various properties of quartz, feldspar, and mica. Through compatibility with a thermogravimetric analysis, they are believed to have been plasticized at 500°C–600°C.  Those results could be helpful to securing objective materials in identifying the nature of the patternless earthenwares of the Bronze Age excavated in Seoul and could be beneficially utilized in figuring out how to conserve patternless earthenwares excavated in droves.

2. The Restoration of “Gunangwe,” a Military File Cabinet Manufactured during the Korean Empire

To restore “Gunangwe,” we collected the necessary material and looked into its morphological characteristics. After that, we concluded that the “Gunangwe” is a relic manufactured during the Korean Empire and discovered that it has morphological characteristics that could not be found in those manufactured before the Korean Empire. In addition, we prevented secondary damage through cleaning and strengthening treatment, and restored it to its original shape, that is, as close as possible to its shape during manufacture.

3. Conservation Treatment of the Whole Portrait of Chang-eop Kim

A portrait is a kind of art in which a painter embodies the shape and shadow of a person—the two crucial factors of both the exact picture, which requires the faithfulness of a shape, and the picture with the spirit and mind of a person, which requires the faithfulness of a shadow—on a canvas through his or her eyes.

“The Whole Portrait of Chang-eop Kim,” which was painted during the latter part of the Chosun Dynasty, was restored by changing its original scroll type into frame type. As silk and several pieces of folded paper were detached from the basic bottom paper of the drawing, the silk was removed, and foreign substances and other materials were found. It was also found that the whole pigments used to paint the back side of the drawing were dropped upon eliminating the folded paper when it was restored in the past.

During the process of this conservation treatment, we took such measures as the elimination of foreign substances by stabilizing and cleaning the foundation pigments, supplementing cloth by using a cloth deteriorated by heat, folding the cloth for several times and then affixing it, drying, and adjusting the color. After the conservation treatment, the frame type of the existing portrait was restored into scroll type, which was mainly used during the latter half of the Chosun Dynasty when the relic was painted as the Advisory Council recommended it.

4. The Manufacturing Circumstances of “The Portrait of Jae-myeon Lee” Examined through Coloring Analysis

“The Portrait of Jae-myeon Lee,” which is in the possession of the Seoul Museum of History, is one of the portraits related to the figures for Unhyeongung, a palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Who painted it and when it was manufactured have not yet been identified. It is only estimated that it was painted in 1880, the year when the portrait of Heungseon Daewongun at the age of 61 was painted, as its technique of painting the face is identical to that of Han-chul Lee, who painted Heungseon Daewongun. Therefore, this research intended to review the manufacturing circumstances of “The Portrait of Jae-myeon Lee” by, first, examining its coloring and, second, comparing it with that of “The Two Portraits of Ha-eung Lee” manufactured in 1880 as it was already reported based on the first examination.

This research conducted a component analysis of “The Portrait of Jae-myeon Lee” with a portable X-ray fluorescent analyzer as the pigments of the entire front of the portrait were, in the first place, divided into black, white, yellow, red, and green. This research took a close look at the detailed coloring state of the pigments with a digital microscope and measured the chromaticity with a spectrophotometer.

In accordance with the results of the coloring analysis, it was estimated that the pigments used in painting the portrait were inkstick, lead powder, gold, gamboge, cobweb, ruddle, emerald green, wild honey, yellow organic pigment, red organic pigment, and green organic pigment, and there was no basis coloring. Based on the results, this research compared the coloring of “The Portrait of Jae-myeon Lee” with that of “Black Do-Rag and Blue Robe Model” and “Wide Rag and White Top Robe Model,” both of which are the portraits of Ha-eung Lee manufactured in 1880.

The coloring pigments and the scope of the painting from the canvas' back side of the coloring used in “The Portrait of Jae-myeon Lee” were included in the pigments, and the scope of the painting from the canvas' back side of the coloring used in manufacturing the portraits of Ha-eung Lee. In particular, the fact that while high-purity gold and emerald green were used as coloring pigments, and silver was not used, could possibly mean that the three portraits used the same pigments. In addition, they used the same pigments in expressing the pupils and the lips as well as the outline of the facial area, and the fact that the entire eyes, including the pupils, were painted from the canvas' back side with a lead powder is a characteristic element of the techniques in manufacturing a portrait, which shows that it is highly likely that all the portraits were drawn by just one painter. The differences identified among the three portraits—the techniques for manufacturing purple and green pigments as well as the coloring techniques were different from one another; there was no malachite, a green pigment; and the scope of the painting from the canvas' back side was narrow—are seen not so much as the causes that the manufacturing circumstances of the three portraits were different from one another but as an evidence that the painter additionally drew “The Portrait of Jae-myeon Lee” while drawing the portraits of Ha-eung Lee; thus, “The Portrait of Jae-myeon Lee” used fewer coloring pigments and less painting from the canvas' back side, which meant that the manufacturing materials and techniques of “The Portrait of Jae-myeon Lee” were relatively limited. As a result, it can be concluded that “The Portrait of Jae-myeon Lee” was manufactured along with the portraits of Ha-eung Lee in 1880.

5. Evaluation of Air Quality in the Museum through the Use of the Color Change Paper Test

The color change paper test is a means to determine the acidity of indoor air in a short period, thanks to its simplicity and affordability. It can measure the acidity of indoor air in just 24 hr by checking the change in the color of the paper.

The Planning Exhibition Hall of the Seoul Museum of History has been using environment-friendly materials for more than eight exhibition constructions that it carries out in a year; however, air pollutants in the exhibition hall caused by frequent exhibition constructions have tremendous effects on visitors and displayed relics. Therefore, it is important to evaluate and monitor air quality in the exhibition hall, and the Seoul Museum of History should take proper measures, such as ventilation through air-conditioning, if necessary.

This research described how to evaluate and monitor air quality in the museum through the color change paper test used by the Seoul Museum of History.

6. Conservation Treatment of Jar Coffins in the Seoul Baekje Museum

The Seoul Baekje Museum collects relics through a variety of methods, such as purchase, donation, and consignment, and is making efforts to conserve and manage collected relics. This research intends to introduce the conservation treatment process for the two jar coffins that the Seoul Baekje Museum bought in 2012. The museum decided to carry out the conservation treatment process again, given that they find it difficult to either display or conserve the jar coffins for a long time as they are structurally unstable and aesthetically bad, although they are in a perfect shape as they were treated for conservation.

As the museum cannot precisely figure out what materials were used in restoring them as no records of past conservation treatment are left, they were restored by using soil, adhesives, and plaster. They are in a bad condition due to the pollution, heat deterioration, and rupture caused by the restoration materials on their surface. The conservation treatment was carried out by, first, eliminating the existing adhesives and restoration materials, and then disassembling the whole jar coffins and, second, strengthening the disassembled fragments, and then joining and restoring them.