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Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Korean Lacquered Chest Update

by Conservation

10/17/2019

objects conservation , behind the scenes , korean lacquered chest , conservation , the wonders of east asian lacquer

ornately decorated chest

Unidentified Artist (Korean), Chest, Late 19th Century, Korea, wood, metal inlaid mother-of-pearl, Gift of Walter and Vanida Davison, 2013.118

detail of the mother of pearl engraving

Unidentified Artist (Korean), Chest, Late 19th Century, Korea, wood, metal inlaid mother-of-pearl, Gift of Walter and Vanida Davison, 2013.118

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This week in Objects Conservation: An update on the treatment of our 19th C Korean lacquered chest. The degraded lacquer has been laid down with adhesive, or ‘consolidated,’ and many of the existing mother-of-pearl fragments have been reattached. Unfortunately, there are still large areas of loss in the mother-of-pearl design. To help fill in these larger areas, several pieces of mother-of-pearl have been sourced to recreate part of the design.

In each area of loss an original underdrawing can be seen mapping out the exact location of each piece.  This underdrawing will be used as a template to ensure that each new section appears the same shape and size as the original. See this chest when it goes on view in The Wonders of East Asian Lacquer exhibition scheduled to open in the spring of 2021.

 

Related: Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Korean Lacquered Chest