Matthews Gallery

Closeups of the Terracotta Warriors

“Once a terracotta warrior is unearthed, it is exposed to a complete different environment with light, air and other natural elements, which results in the disappearing of the polychromy [paint]. Since the archaeological excavation of the terracotta warrior pits, one of the most urgent problems is the falling off of the polychromy due to the humidity changes. In order to solve this problem, in-situ conservation is carried out immediately after the excavation of each warrior. Some warriors are taken to the restoration area for further preservation work. The restored warriors are transported to the exhibitions, the relics storage or the laboratory. We offer online support to the preservation of the colors of the terracotta warriors and we hope to give them a new colorful life.” 

“Terracotta soldiers vary in facial  and expressions. Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Army is an excellent example of Chinese realistic sculptures. Using clay, ink and color, the Qin artists vividly depicted a variety of characters in the society. The creating of the army focused not only on the depiction of individual racial features, but the connection among those features. Many faces captured the vivid expressions and tensions of facial muscles. The heads of the soldiers were made out of mold first and then carved with detailed facial features. This efficient way of making facilitated the creation of certain “type” and “personality”. Even among the same types, whiskers and facial details of the soldiers such as muscles were individually created for different facial appearances and expressions. The variety of molds, vividly depicted facial features and colors of different kinds all contributed to the forming of an army of individuals, the so-called “thousands of soldiers and thousands of faces”.”

-Army of Terracotta Warriors Museum, Xi’an, China

Super cool. 

More art history.