| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000)
Fiscal Year 1997: ¥200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥200,000)
Fiscal Year 1996: ¥800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000)
Fiscal Year 1995: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000)
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| Research Abstract |
In Japan, many decorative artifacts with pearls or mother-of-pearls have been survived through thousands of years. The majority of them are deteriorated because they have been exposed to various environmental conditions for a long time. The author tried the conservation study for these materials as well as Tamamushi-wing (Chrysocuroa fulgidissima) crafts. To clarify the deteriorated states of these materials the following scientific investigations were carried out : 1) surveying appropriate investigation methods, 2) accelerated aging test with the intense Xenon-light for Tamamushi-wing, 3) investigation and analysis for the deteriorated Roman pearls. The survey for investigation methods was carried out for the nature of fluorescence, chonchiolin, the structure of aragonite crystal stacks, the solution of the crystals, the change of crystal form of calcium carbonate, and the inorganic components of pearls. Unfortunately, new knowledge from the survey was found out. The results of the accelerated aging test showed that the color of the material was changed slightly, The material is consisted of thousands of spiral stacks of chitin layer, and the structure is considered to be affected to its color. From the results of these analyses the pearls were proved to have been produced by a species of freshwater pelecypod. However, long-term storage had gradually brought about such severe deterioration of the pearls that the nacre is partially fragmented and easily peeled off. The decrease in adhesive power of the organic membrane, due mainly to the decomposition of conchiolin, is a direct cause of the deterioration.
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