Louvre is known to be one of the top three museums in the world. In 2020 alone, Louvre recorded first when it came to the number of visitors from around the world. Even during the pandemic, 2.7 million visitors have arrived in Paris to see the art and its history. With all these facts taken into consideration about the Louvre, it can be said that it is significant regarding a restoration project of Hanji, a traditional Korean paper, from 2014 by the museum. Louvre has been working with Minjung Kim, a professional restorer of cultural assets on this project.
Hanji is a traditional Korean paper which people guess originated somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd century. The paper was at a golden peak in the Goryeo dynasty and was widely spread and used in the Joseon as well. Hanji is made with some parts of mulberry trees, which can be turned into laminated sheets and then ultimately to compress the fibers.
Minjung Kim, who was an intern at the Louvre in 2014, was passionate to let the world know the value and importance of Hanji. This led to Ariane de la Chapelle, the head of the museum’s restoration team reading one of Kim’s thesis during the time of his master. The thesis covered the comparison of traditional papers from Korea, China and Japan. At this time, Washi, the Japanese paper, was frequently used for the restoration of cultural assets. However, after reading Kim’s thesis, Louvre became interested in Hanji and carried out an experiment to decide on which paper they should use. So they wet both Washi and Hanji and tried to compare the results. Ultimately, Hanji was found to be preserved longer than the Washi, due to its less shrinkage and deformation.
Taking the outcome of the experiment into consideration, Hanji proved to be excellent and outstanding in its quality for the restoration. The paper had strong durability and contractibility. Also, unlike the Japanese Washi, which was weaved only vertically, Hanji was done both horizontally and vertically. This allowed the traditional Korean paper to be even more solid and its fibers strong, making it less likely to get ripped. With these qualities, Hanji was expected to be used in various aspects to transform the old, worn-out masterpieces into new by filling the cracks in some of the art works, furniture and sculptures.
Louvre had recognized the value of Hanji after they had seen what the paper could do. So in 2017, the museum officially adopted the Korean paper and used the one from Jeonju, a region in South Korea to restore the King Maximilian II of Bavaria’s desk from the 18th century. The damaged padlock of the drawer was perfectly restored by using Hanji. In 2018, the South Korean first lady visited the museum to see the desk. Also, in May 2021, 14 art pieces of Fragonard and 4 pieces of Lemonnier that have been restored by Hanji were displayed. This whole process took about a year.
Not only France and its Louvre Museum are showing interest in the Korean traditional paper, but other European countries are also recognizing the value of Hanji. For instance, Italy has officially designated the paper as a material to restore its historic artifacts. Then it was actually used to restore a drawing called “Codex on the Flight of Birds” by the famous artist, Leonardo Da Vinci.
As the world is starting to acknowledge the worth of Hanji, this will only be the beginning of the journey as an excellent Korean traditional paper. The ultimate goal for Minjung Kim and South Korea is turning every paper used for restoration of ancient relics into Hanji, promoting the outstanding qualities and its meanings in terms of history and value.
Yeahwon Shim
K-UNIV Reporter
