The "Terracotta Army" is a worldwide known archaeological finding in China. It is a part of the burial complex of the emperor Qin Shihuangdi (259-210 BC), which is still under excavation and study. The fact that the sculptures, chariots and weapons of the First Chinese Emperor's Terracotta Army were originally all painted in bright colours is still not widely known. The chemical characterisation of the paint medium was performed through an analytical procedure based on GC-MS. The proteinaceous binder was identified for the first time through a desalting procedure used in proteomics. The identification of egg as a paint binder is extremely interesting in terms of the historical significance of the work of art itself and important in terms of the method of conservation. Moreover it represents one of the first steps towards an understanding of the painting technique used on ancient sculptures in China, of which - despite their fame - nothing is yet known. (c) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
The binding media of the polychromy of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army
BONADUCE, ILARIA;Colombini MP
2008-01-01
Abstract
The "Terracotta Army" is a worldwide known archaeological finding in China. It is a part of the burial complex of the emperor Qin Shihuangdi (259-210 BC), which is still under excavation and study. The fact that the sculptures, chariots and weapons of the First Chinese Emperor's Terracotta Army were originally all painted in bright colours is still not widely known. The chemical characterisation of the paint medium was performed through an analytical procedure based on GC-MS. The proteinaceous binder was identified for the first time through a desalting procedure used in proteomics. The identification of egg as a paint binder is extremely interesting in terms of the historical significance of the work of art itself and important in terms of the method of conservation. Moreover it represents one of the first steps towards an understanding of the painting technique used on ancient sculptures in China, of which - despite their fame - nothing is yet known. (c) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
