A Critical Review Of Identify The Fibers Of Ancient Chinese Painted Clay Sculpture

Study on craftsmanship of ancient Chinese painted clay sculpture has significant sense on both cultural heritage inheritance and relics' restoration.This paper summarized and generalized the research status of craftsmanship and detection methods on painted clay sculpture.We analyzed and indentified the painted clay sculpture samples from Sumeru Grotto and Maijishan Grotto by routine detection methods.According to the lack of fiber detection technology on traditional painted clay sculpture,we started to study on fiber identification method,especially on plant fibers(stalks of rice and wheat,cotton,bast)which were commonly used in painted clay sculpture.We boiled stalks with alkali to extract fiber,and embedded linear fibers with viscose fibers.After section,we differentiated and identified their species by observing microcosmic cell morphology characteristics of plant fibers' cross-sections.Finally,we detected fiber of painted clay sculpture samples from Sumeru Grotto and Maijishan Grotto,and found that wheat stalk and jute were used in rough mud layer of Sumeru grotto's sculpture,ramie in fine mud layer and cotton in detail part like fingers;painted clay sculpture in Maijishan Grotto contains wheat stalk.This work filled the vacancies of fiber detection technology of painted clay sculpture,and made a comprehensive inspection of sculpture manufacturing materials like mud,pigment and fiber.We provided a basic method of investigating painted clay sculpture's craftsmanship and repair technique.