FIT FOR A KING: The terra-cotta warriors guard a tomb that took 700,000 workers more than 30 years to build. Experts estimate that there could be as many as 7,000 to 8,000 of these statues. So far, they’ve unearthed about 2,000.

O. LOUIS MAZZATENTA/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

STANDARDS

NGSS: Core Idea: PS1.A

CCSS: Writing Standards: 2

TEKS: 6.5A, 7.5B, 8.5, C.4A

Standing Guard

Unearthing the vibrant colors that once adorned an ancient clay army

September 18, 2017

By Natalie Smith

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Why might ancient artworks no longer look the same as when they were originally created?

JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN®

About 40 years ago, farmers digging a well in central China uncovered something surprising—a head made out of terra-cotta, a type of baked clay. It belonged to a life-sized statue of a soldier. And the figure wasn’t alone. It was part of a massive army buried in a tomb.

Since 1974, archaeologists have found roughly 2,000 terra-cotta warriors. They look dull and brown today. But the soldiers were once painted vibrant colors. Through years of detective work, scientists have pieced together how these incredible artworks originally looked.

About 40 years ago, farmers were digging a well in central China. They made a surprising discovery. It was a head made of terra-cotta, a type of baked clay. It belonged to a life-sized statue of a soldier. And the figure wasn’t alone. It was part of a massive army buried in a tomb.

Archaeologists have found about 2,000 terra-cotta warriors since 1974. They look dull and brown today. But the soldiers were once painted bright colors. Scientists spent years studying the soldiers. Now they’ve figured out how these amazing artworks looked when they were new.

Terra-cotta Warriors

Watch a video about terra-cotta soldiers excavated from an ancient Chinese tomb.

LOST LAYERS

Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang (chin shuh hwong) ordered the terra-cotta soldiers to be created 2,200 years ago to guard him in the afterlife. Artists sculpted the statues to look like the emperor’s real-life army. They included details like clothing, hair, and even eyelashes.

The ancient artists applied the paint over lacquer, a protective coating made from tree sap. But when archaeologists removed the first statues from the damp earth, the lacquer immediately dried out in the air. It cracked and peeled off—taking the paint with it. “Almost nothing remains on the terra-cotta surfaces,” explains Catharina Blänsdorf, an art conservationist in Germany.

Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang (chin shuh hwong) ordered the terra-cotta soldiers to be created 2,200 years ago. He wanted them to guard him in the afterlife. Artists made the statues to look like the emperor’s real-life army. They included details like clothing, hair, and even eyelashes.

The ancient artists put the paint over lacquer. This hard coating is made from tree sap. Thousands of years later, archaeologists took the first statues from the damp earth. The lacquer quickly dried out in the air. It cracked and peeled off, and it took the paint with it. “Almost nothing remains on the terra-cotta surfaces,” explains Catharina Blänsdorf. She’s an art conservationist in Germany.

RESTORING AN ARMY

Now, as soon as researchers uncover a statue, they spray it with polyethylene glycol (PEG). The chemical compound replaces the moisture in the lacquer. The process keeps any remaining paint on the statues, so they retain some of their vivid colors.

Scientists examine the pigments—substances that absorb or reflect different colors of light—in preserved paint fragments from the statues. These color clues have helped researchers reconstruct how the terracotta warriors looked long ago.

Now researchers know what to do when they dig up a statue. Right away, they spray it with polyethylene glycol (PEG). The chemical compound replaces the moisture in the lacquer. Any paint that’s left stays on the statues, so they keep some of their bright colors.

Scientists study the pigments in bits of paint from the statues. These substances absorb or reflect different colors of light. Researchers have pieced together these color clues to reveal how the terra-cotta warriors looked long ago.

A SOLDIER’S TRUE COLORS

Here’s what one terra-cotta warrior probably looked like when it was created 2,200 years ago. Ancient artists used paints containing pigments made from crushed minerals, metals, or bones mixed with egg to bind them together.