Unveiling of RTI video showcasing the exquisite Silla goldsmithing: "Gold Leaf with Flower and Bird Patterns"

TRIC (Technology Research Institute for Culture & Heritage) has unveiled, for the first time in six years since its excavation, a media art piece titled <Gold Leaf with Flower and Bird Patterns>. The work was created by digitizing the ultra-fine patterns using RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging) and transforming them into a 2-minute-and-30-second media art video.

The featured gold foil artifact is an extraordinary relic crafted by hammering 99.9% pure gold weighing only 0.3 grams into a 0.04mm-thin sheet measuring just 3.6cm wide and 1.17cm tall. Into this miniature canvas, two turtle doves and a vibrant cluster of flowers were engraved with astonishing intricacy. The lines—finer than a strand of human hair at under 0.05mm thick—were carved using the traditional metal engraving technique called jogeum (彫金), involving precision tools such as chisels and burins. The patterns are nearly invisible to the naked eye and can only be discerned through a magnifying glass or microscope, revealing the extraordinary craftsmanship and micro-level metalworking skills of Silla artisans.

This newly revealed goldwork is considered one of the finest examples of ancient Korean craftsmanship ever unearthed, demonstrating the highest level of intricate metal engraving. The artifact and its accompanying video are now on public display at the National Gyeongju Research Institute of Cultural Heritage through the special exhibition “The Blooming Flowers and Birds” (June 17 – October 31).