Terracotta Warrior
- Technical University Munich, Department for Restoration, Art Technology and Conservational Sciences
- Sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research
- Scan and reconstruction of historical figures
Warrior of the Teracotta Army of the First Chinese Emperor Qin Shihuang (Xian, China)
In 2005-2006 we surveyed five warriors of the Teracotta Army (app. 210 BC) in Xian (most of the with remains of the original colouring) for the Technical University of Munich.
The almost life-size terracotta statues which were documented include the famous warriors from pit 2 with green incarnate, other archers and crossbowmen and the general depicted overleaf. Our task was not only the high resolution survey with a 3D-triangulation scanner, but also photorealistic texturing, in order to document the remaining colour pigments as detailed as possible. The individual objects were partially textured with up to 500 high-resolution photos.
The software solutions available to us were limited back then, so specific programmes had to be developed in house. The transformations of the results in different computer presentations were carried out in cooperation with the TU Munich. Based on our research data, the Department for Restoration fashioned digital reconstructions (Dipl.-Rest. Felix Horn) of the very delicate and highly artistic original colouring of these warriors. The results from this project could be transformed into real models and animations, which were displayed, for example, in exhibitions in the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn and, later on, in Berlin.
