Research on Virtual Restoration of Bronze Cultural Relic Halberd of King Guang of Wu Based on X-ray Detection and Photoshop Technologies

On the basis of non-destructive testing for cultural relics, X-ray detection technology can extract views of unknown information such as corrosion and damage inside cultural relics, as well as important historical and artistic information, including the inscriptions and decorations covered by pollutants or rust on the surface of cultural relics. Those view information can provide guidance for the formulation and the implementation of cultural relic protection and restoration schemes. By using Photoshop technology, the cultural relic conservators can clearly process the view information of cultural relics extracted by X-ray detection. And then, some clear and intuitive visual images of important inscriptions and decorations on the surface of the cultural relic can be accurately obtained. This study takes the Halberd of King Guang of Wu bronze cultural relic as an example, the X-ray detection technology was used to obtain the defectograms of the gold-inlaid inscriptions which were completely covered by bronze corrosion. Then, Photoshop technology was used to extract the independent information of the defectograms of the front and back gold-inlaid inscriptions of Halberd of King Guang of Wu in order to obtain the historical value of the artifacts, and the virtual removal of the bronze corrosion parts and the virtual restoration of the fracture parts of the artifact were carried out. According to the defectograms of the gold-inlaid inscriptions, the entity inscriptions covered by the bronze corrosion parts were accurately positioned; the existing golden colour of the inscriptions was collected and copied on to the defectograms of the gold-inlaid inscriptions after positioning, so as to achieve the purpose of repairing the colour of the physical inscription of the bronze artifact. The results showed that X-ray detection technology can clearly and accurately extract the gold-inlaid inscriptions on the surface of Halberd of King Guang of Wu. Additionally, Photoshop technology can virtually process the bronze corrosion parts, fracture parts, and the colour, gloss and brightness of inscriptions and decorations of Halberd of King Guang of Wu. Finally, with the helps of the two modern technologies, the virtual restoration effect diagram of Halberd of King Guang of Wu bronze cultural relic was completed.