Department Chair
Patrick Ravines
Date of Award
8-2017
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Name
Art Conservation, M.A., C.A.S.
Department
Art Conservation Department
Advisor
Jonathan Thornton
Department Home page
https://artconservation.buffalostate.edu
First Reader
Rebecca Ploeger
Second Reader
Jiuan-Jiuan Chen
Third Reader
Aaron Shugar
Abstract
In 2012, pieces from a set of Japanese samurai armor from the Buffalo History Museum were brought to the Art Conservation Department for treatment. The armor consists of a face mask, shin guards and saddle stirrups containing many organic and inorganic materials, such as lacquered metal and wood, metal inlay, leather and dyed silk. The materials and fabrication methods, with an emphasis on the, lacquer and its substrate materials, were investigated through technical analysis and the research of Japanese armor in an effort to establish provenance and a treatment protocol. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and cross-section analysis identified the Japanese lacquer, urushi, on the lacquered armor components. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) was employed to identify pigments, such as cinnabar and iron oxide, in the colored lacquer. Research found that the face mask may have been a product of mass production in the Nara province and the stirrups a product from the Kaga province, while the shin guards require further investigation.
Recommended Citation
Spence, Stephanie, "The Technical Analysis and Conservation of Japanese Samurai Armor" (2017). Art Conservation Master's Projects. 77.
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/art_con_projects/77
