Spectral Characterization of Pigment from the No. 1 Cave, Kizil Cave-Temple Complex

Liu Liu,Jintao He,Zhanyun Zhu,Qing Zhong,Junchang Yang,Mei Ye

doi:10.1155/2019/8502524

Liu Liu, Jintao He + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/8502524

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Abstract

The Kizil Cave-Temple Complex has been registered as a World Heritage site and was formerly a part of Kucha—one of the most powerful and prosperous regions of ancient China. The No. 1 Cave is of great significance due to its three surviving clay sculptures. The mural paintings inside the cave are experiencing severe degradation. Scientific methods such as optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDS), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffusion (XRD) were applied to analyze the pigments and organic coating used in the No. 1 Cave. The results show that paratacamite, gypsum, and lapis lazuli were used as the green, white, and blue pigments, respectively. Poly-n-butyl methacrylate (PBMA) was used as an organic coating of the blue pigment and has accelerated the aging of the mural paintings. This study shares insights into the materials and techniques employed and assesses the preservation status of the mural paintings, providing scientific support for protection and restoration schemes.

Highlights

Introduction e Kizil CaveTemple Complex (Kizil Grottoes) is located in Baicheng County, Xinjiang Province, China, which was formerly a part of Kucha—one of the most powerful and prosperous regions of ancient China (Figure 1)
Because most clay sculptures in the Kizil Grottoes are preserved outside China, the three surviving clay sculptures in the No 1 Cave are of great value, even though they are incomplete. e loss of the record of the construction year makes it impossible to directly determine the development sequence of the caves
Compared to other Buddhist grottoes along the Silk Road, studies of the Kizil Grottoes have not been well reported to date. ree samples, taken from the fallen part of the No 1 Cave, were studied by several complementary techniques to characterize the materials used and assess the preservation status

Summary

Introduction

Temple Complex (Kizil Grottoes) is located in Baicheng County, Xinjiang Province, China, which was formerly a part of Kucha—one of the most powerful and prosperous regions of ancient China (Figure 1). Because it was a fortress that connected China and other countries along the Silk Road, Kucha was the center of politics, economy, and culture. Many mural cave paintings have been found in the Kucha region (Buddha logo in Figure 1), and they are considered to be the earliest Buddhist mural cave paintings in China. A multitude of cultural factors from central China and India were included in the mural paintings, making the caves unique due to the distinct national characteristics. E Kizil Grottoes has 236 numbered caves to date and is divided into 4 regions according to location. Degradation has occurred in both the mural paintings and the cave, resulting in the delamination and detachment of pigment from the related painting layers (Figure 2)

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