Species and Characteristics of Particles for Traditional Red and Green Pigments used in Temples

The purpose of the present study is to determine the species of red and green pigments used on paintings of Korean temples and also to compare the two pigments according to the particle characteristics. The component analysis shows that the red pigment consists of cinnabar, hematite, and minium and the green pigment are composed of atacamite, celadonite, and malachite. The result suggests that mixture of various pigments were applied to the painting. When it comes to the particle characteristics, there are various hedral or anhedral shapes such as sharp, long, angular, and platy shapes even in the same cinnabar. In addition, the green pigment also shows a similar pattern with those of the red pigment. Up to now, an identification of minerals has been relied on examination of component and crystal shape. However, it is notable that using form related characteristics can be a better and useful method not only for categorization of pigments which are similar in terms of color and species but also specific index.