Deterioration Assessment and Conservation of a Heavily Degraded Korean Stone Buddha from the Ninth Century

Abstract

The standing Buddha image of Jincheon in the Republic of Korea created in the fourth year of Taehwa is engraved on a darkgray rock wall of shale. The front face has a backward inclination, meeting the strike of N40°W almost vertically. The host rock contains well-developed fine laminations and stratifications, and has small and large discontinuous planes irregularly distributed. Exfoliations make it hard to make out each part of the body. The surface of the surrounding rocks is severely contaminated with lichen and Bryophyta, and plant roots aggravate the mechanical and biological weathering. The rocks went through a series of conservation treatments, which consisted of dry cleaning followed by wet cleaning using distilled water. Broken or cracked parts were filled in or glued together using epoxy resin, surfaces with exfoliations were treated with ethyl silicate to become water-repellent and hardened. The color of the repaired parts was matched to harmonize with the rest of the image. Drainage was created to divert rainwater from the slope above away from the image, and surrounding plants were removed to control lichen growth. The bedrock of the Buddha image is deteriorated in its functions due to the surface weathering, therefore it is necessary to implement long-term monitoring and to search for comprehensive conservation solutions.