Analysis and characterization of materials used in heritage theatrical figurines

Abstract

The precious collections of the Qing Dynasty paper-made theatrical figurines known as Shage xiren (纱阁戏人) represent a unique type of Chinese traditional folk art. The name, "Shage xiren" can be explained as the theatrical figurines that display in gauze curtains covered showcases. There were originally 36 showcases of Shage xiren of which 34 are preserved with 28 showcases exhibited at Qingxu Taoist Temple of Pingyao and the other damaged 6 are kept in the storeroom. It is rare that ancient paper-made figurines can be retained; therefore Shage xiren became a valuable source for understanding the traditional folk art as well as exploring rarely inherited crafts. Due to the material specificity and the poor preservation conditions, most of the figurines are found with various damages. It appears necessary to carry out appropriate conservative and restorative actions. To date, very few works have been reported on investigating the materials and crafts of making Shage xiren, resulting in a lack of basis for restoration. In this research, the samples collected from the damaged figurines, including wooden stick, plant fibers, paper pieces, clay fragments and textile fibers were studied. Polarized light microscope, X-ray diffraction, granulometry, Raman spectrum, digital microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrum analyses were employed to characterize the materials used in producing the cultural relics. The results indicated that not only paper, but also various materials were utilized in making the figurines. To form well-shaped bodies, the figurines have moso bamboo sticks applied as supporting structures, then covered with wheat straw and filled with natural cotton. The paper costumes and decorations were made from coniferous wood pulp and bamboo fibers respectively, and the textile belts were made from silk. The heads, feet and fingers of the figurines were shaped with fine local clay mixed with natural fibers to prevent cracking. The heads were further applied with lime to improve the surface smoothness and brightness. The pigments of red lead, basic lead carbonate, indigo and artificial ultramarine were used in painting and dyeing the clay heads and feet, and paper decorations. Although the figurines were made from accessible materials, the ingenious design and the sophisticated skills combining sculpturing, paper folding and elaborate ornamenting made it one of the unique artefacts. This research further provided reliable evidence in guiding the conservation and restoration work.

Analytical study of Buddha sculptures in Jingyin temple of Taiyuan, China

“…Although studies on the sculptures have been conducted over the years [1,2], only a few technical studies have been reported for the conservation of other sculptures and there is no previous technical investigation of the materials and techniques used in making the sculptures in Jingyin Temple. Considering all these modern methods, the combination of Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (ESEM/EDX), Raman spectroscopy and Polarized light microscopy (PLM) has proved to be a powerful methodology to identify the pigments [6][7][8]. Application of X-ray diffraction (XRD) is beneficial for accurately identifying crystalline structures in muds [9,10].…”

The Revitalization Design of Regional Ethnic Cultural Capital in a Sustainable Perspective: The Case of Traditional Chinese Garment Yunjian

“…Most of the patterns in traditional Chinese folk costumes come from life and are influenced by the background of the times, people's beliefs and local customs [6]. The common pattern images in Yunjian can be broadly divided into plant, animal, character, artifact and text categories.…”

A Multi-Analytical Approach to Investigate the Polychrome Clay Sculpture in Qinglian Temple of Jincheng, China

“…Certain analytical methods have already been proven to be effective in the scientific analysis of the various structures of ancient polychromic artworks, including surface or cross-section observation using optical microscopy [ 3 ], digital microscopy [ 4 ] and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) [ 5 ]; X-ray diffraction (XRD) [ 6 ] and SEM [ 7 ] are particularly beneficial for accurately identifying the crystalline structures and microstructure of the clay ground layer while a combination of Herzberg stain and optical microscopy is commonly used to identify the fibre sources in ground clay layers [ 8 ]; particle induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) [ 9 ], X-ray fluorescence (XRF) [ 10 ] or energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) [ 11 ] have also been used to analyse the elements of the relevant mineral pigments, and a combination of Raman spectroscopy (RS) [ 12 , 13 ], Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) [ 12 , 13 ] and XRD [ 7 ] have also been found to be beneficial for accurately identifying pigments.…”