Scientific Characterization Analysis of Lacquer and Cashew as Adhesive Materials for Gold-gilding Layer and Consideration of Conservation Schemes: Gilt-bronze Seated Buddha at Sinamsa Temple in Dangin, Korea

Abstract

The Gilt-bronze seated Buddha at Sinamsa temple in Dangin has an uneven in the shape the gilt, poor gloss and cracks were damaged. Such damage to the gold-gilding layer may degrade the corrosion resistance of the Buddha statue, thereby promoting corrosion of the metal compound. The Buddha statue was a restoration in the 1980s, and it was highly likely that modern materials such as cashew were used as adhesive materials for gold-gilding. In the study, a conservation management plan was proposed by comprehensively examining the material characteristics of the gold-gilding layer and adhesives. As the composition analysis, all gold-gilding layers show high Au content, so it seems that pure gold was used, and copper and tin were detected as the main alloying materials for the base metal, corresponding to a bronze. Various analyses of the gilt adhesive material, it was found that gilt was recovered using cashew. The cashew has a weaker adhesion than the lacquer, so the blistering of gold powder and gilt proceeds faster, and can cause various damages such as metal corrosion and whitening. In order to stably preserve the Gilt-bronze seated Buddha at Sinamsa temple and restore the authenticity, it is necessary to remove the cashew covering layer and perform lacquer gold-gilding.