Terracotta army colour mystery solved

Researchers have solved the mystery of how colourful pigment were adhered to the surface of the Terracotta warriors created for China’s first emperor.

Archaeological excavations and research conducted since the discovery of the First Emperor’s polychrome army have revealed “the surfaces of the terracotta warriors were initially covered with one or two layers of an East Asian lacquer … obtained from lacquer trees,” according to Hongtao Yan and Jingjing An, scientists at the College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, in the Chinese city of Xi’an.

In an article coauthored with Tie Zhou, Yin Xia and Bo Rong, scholars at the Key Scientific Research Base of Ancient Polychrome Pottery Conservation, the State Administration for Cultural Heritage, connected with the Museum of Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Army, these researchers stated: “This lacquer was used as a base-coat for the polychrome layers, with one layer of polychrome being placed on top of the lacquer in the majority of cases.”

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Story: Hongtao Yan, Science China Press | Photo: Science China Press