Scientific investigations of the Tokhung-Ri tomb mural paintings (408 AD) of the Koguryo era, Democratic People's Republic of Korea

In the framework of the UNESCO workshops on the Conservation and Preservation of the Koguryo mural paintings, which were held in Pyongyang in 2004 and 2005, paint samples were collected from the Tokhung-Ri tomb located in suburban Pyongyang and analyzed by optical, polarized and FTIR microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) as well as Raman spectroscopy, in order to characterize the composition of pigments, the execution technique adopted and the state of conservation of the murals. The first scientific results seem to confirm the suggestion of local conservators about the adoption of a fresco technique, even though it is not yet clear whether this was intentionally achieved by the North Korean painters. As regards this, analyses of more samples as well as confirmations from a survey of the historical literature are needed. Copyright (C) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.