ABSTRACT

In-depth studies of the manufacture and composition of late nineteenth century Korean lacquerware from the Joseon dynasty are underrepresented in the English-language literature. This article, the first to offer a comprehensive layer-by-layer analysis of late Joseon dynasty lacquerware, shows that these objects are made using a mixture of traditional lacquerware techniques and materials together with new materials and methods. Through conservation and analysis of four lacquerware objects from the exhibition Mother-of-Pearl Lacquerware from Korea at the Asian Art Museum (29 April–23 October 2016), we identify the materials and techniques used in manufacture and present a new technique to allow conservators to compensate for losses of ray skin inlay. Our discovery that artists used shellac at multiple stages during manufacture calls into question the assumption that shellac was used only as a surface coating. Our findings demonstrate the material and technological complexity of Korean lacquerware from this period and can inform efforts at conservation and analysis of similar objects.

摘要

对 19 世纪晚期朝鲜王朝朝鲜漆器的制造和成分的深入研究在英语文献中的代表性不足。这篇文章首次对朝鲜晚期漆器进行了全面的逐层分析，表明这些物品是使用传统漆器技术和材料与新材料和方法的混合物制成的。通过对韩国珍珠母漆器展览中的四件漆器的保存和分析在亚洲艺术博物馆（2016 年 4 月 29 日至 10 月 23 日），我们确定了制造过程中使用的材料和技术，并展示了一种新技术，使保护人员能够补偿射线皮肤镶嵌的损失。我们发现艺术家在制造过程中的多个阶段使用虫胶，这对虫胶仅用作表面涂层的假设提出了质疑。我们的发现证明了这一时期韩国漆器的材料和技术复杂性，并可以为类似物品的保护和分析工作提供信息。