A Study on the Gold Film Coated on the Ancient Gilt Bronze

Um, S. K.; Kang, S. G.

Journal of the Korean society of Conservation Science for Cultural Heritage 1992;1(1):60-79.
Published online December 20, 1992.

고대 금동유물의 金鍍金被膜에 관한 연구

임선기, 강성군

A Study on the Gold Film Coated on the Ancient Gilt Bronze

S. K. Um, S. G. Kang

ABSTRACT

In relation to the scientific conservation treatment of ancient gilt bronze, the gold film coated on the bronze excavated from Hwangnam Great Tomb of Old Silla Kingdom(A. D. 5C) was studied in the view of coating technology and metallurgy of bronze. The uniform and dense gold film containing of Hg with the thickness of was found to be coated on the bronze objects by amalgam coating method. On silver objects, the film with the thickness of was coated also continously and uniformly with gold by the same method. The bronze objects was fabricated by forging technique and contained almost of Pb. Its microstructure was solid solution including Pb segregation in the matrix. The amount of Zn was added in the bronze for the purpose of easy fabricating of Cu alloy. Based on the data studied, the gold film on bronze sample was reproduced by amalgam coating method and compared with the ancient gold film.