1332
Accession Number
29823
Title Of Article Chaper
The Conservation and Restoration of Porcelains - Conservation treatment of The Blue and White Porcelain Loop-Handled Jar with Underglaze Iron Painted Three-Peaked Mountain Design
Title Of Journal Book
Journal of Ho-Am Art Museum
Volume
3
Pages
33-40
Collation
ills.
Reference Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references
Language Of Text
Korean
Language Of Summary
English
Literature Type
Serial
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
Porcelains are usually resistant to changes in the environment. However, because they are made of very fragile materials, external shocks such as a lack of care in handling can cause the greatest amount of damage to these cultural treasures. Therefore, when porcelains are handled, the most important factors are care and prudence in their treatment. In this paper the reasons for damage to porcelain works and the actual processes used in their conservation are briefly discussed. Salinity or external shocks caused by sudden changes in the surrounding environment can be the reasons for damage to porcelain, but the overwhelming majority of damage occurs due to the mishandling done by humans. The usual order for the conservation process for porcelain includes a preliminary examination, cleaning, bonding, filling, color matching, and glazing. Yet, depending on the condition of the piece, some steps may be eliminated or the order changed. In the preliminary examination a variety of tools and/or equipment is used to ascertain the internal structure, motifs, and the techniques used for manufacture. In addition, at this time an evaluation of the current condition of the object is made and a conservation process is decided upon. In the cleaning process both physical and chemical mehtod are employed. Cleaning and washing the object facilitate the bonding of the broken part and filling. The work of bonding and filling is the part of the process done to return the damaged porcelain back to its original form and then an epoxy synthetic resin is generally used as adhesive. Color matching is done by a coloring process around and on the filled parts so that the color is as close to the original as possible. When this step is finished, the surface of the colored part is glazed in order that it matches the object's original glaze. Commonly a variety of synthetic resins are used in this process. The Blue and White Porcelain Loop-Handled Jar with Underglaze Iron Painted Three-Peaked Mountain Design's designation as a National Treasure (No. 1056) meant that any conservation work done on the object first had to be approved by the Office of Cultural Properties. The piece had been washed clean, but because one handle and ring had been lost, an additional washing and the bonding process were skipped. In the process of restoring a ring, an attempt was made to make a missing part by using an electric kiln. However, because it was impossible to make it on the reduction state, satisfactory results were not achieved.
Keywords
conservation; restoration; porcelain; underglaze; glaze; iron; paint
pub_id
1332