Painted clay sculpture in Shanxi Province: Material analysis of the Tutang Buddha and two attendants in Jingyin Temple, Taiyuan

Abstract There are more painted clay sculptures in Shanxi Province than in any other province in China. These fine relics, dating from the Sui and Tang dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, are important to the study of ancient sculpture in China. We investigated the Tutang Buddha (from the Jin dynasty) and two attendant bodhisattvas (from the Ming dynasty) in the Buddha Pavilion of the Jingyin Temple in Taiyuan. The Tutang Buddha was the first clay Buddha in Jinyang (now Taiyuan). According to the inscription, the Tutang Buddha was carved out of the hill. Our onsite investigation revealed that there were coarse and fine layers of clay mixed with wheat straw. It is clear that the construction of the Tutang Buddha is different with the traditional painted clay sculpture. The two attendant bodhisattvas are the traditional painted clay sculptures, which consist of a wood framework covered with layers of coarse clay, fine clay, white ash, paper and pigments. Damaged sections of the painted sculptures were visually examined, sampled and subsequently analysed. All three sculptures have been repainted at least twice. The material samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, biological microscopy, and particle size analysis. The analysis enabled us to infer the techniques used by the creators of the sculptures. This research provides a foundation for the conservation and future protection of these and similar sculptures.