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The Wall Painting Techniques and Materials of Kizil Grottoes

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Conservation and Painting Techniques of Wall Paintings on the Ancient Silk Road

Part of the book series: Cultural Heritage Science ((CUHESC))

Abstract

Ancient Kucha (Kuqa, Qiuci), situated at a midpoint on the Silk Road that traverses the Eurasian Continent, was one of the most important centers of trade and Buddhist culture in Central Asia. Kucha played a crucial role in the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road. A large number of grottoes decorated with wall paintings remain in Kucha, showing us the prevalence of Buddhism in this area. The Kizil grotto site is the largest and most influential of the Kucha grottoes group. The paintings preserved here display an astonishing range of styles and techniques, testifying to the cultural and commercial importance of the site and its vital role in the dissemination of Buddhism along the Silk Road in ancient times. A number of previous studies have been undertaken into the materials and techniques of the Kizil wall paintings. On the basis of these, the authors have conducted further investigations, in the course of which some new discoveries were made. Both the inorganic and organic substances in fragment samples collected from several caves dating from the fifth to the seventh century were analyzed. Morphological studies were performed by optical microscope (OM), cross-section microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Inorganic materials were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometry, and elemental maps obtained by SEM with energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). Organic materials were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC–ESI-Q-TOF-MS) and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We identified the white pigment as pyromorphite-mimetite (Pb5Cl[(P,As)O4]3), and the yellow colorant as gamboge, which is applied over atacamite, turning it to a delicate shade of green. Stick lac was used in both the resinous mordant for gilding and for the red colorant in the wall paintings; and the resinous component (shellac) was also probably applied over tin foil to imitate gold. Plant gum was found to be the binder for a lump of blue pigment discovered in front of Cave 189. These studies throw light upon technical advances, trade intercourse and cultural exchanges along the ancient Silk Road.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Ms. Takashima Miho from the National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo, Japan) for help with ELISA analysis, and Professor Kirino Fumiyoshi and Professor Tsukada Masahiko from the Tokyo University of the Arts for the help with FTIR analysis of samples from Caves 69 and 189. We thank Dr. Chenguo Feng and Dr. Fang Zhang from the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine for their help with mass spectroscopy analysis, and Ms. Yang Gao from the Bruker (Beijing) Technology Co. Ltd for her help with the ATR-FTIR analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kizil Grottoes Institute, The Kucha Academy of Xinjiang, Baicheng County, Aksu District, 842300, Urumqi, China

    Zhibo Zhou

  2. School of Art and Archaeology, Zhejiang University, No. 148 Tianmushan Road, Xixi Campus, Hangzhou, 310028, China

    Ling Shen & Hui Zhang

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  1. Zhibo Zhou
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

    Shigeo Aoki

  2. University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Yoko Taniguchi

  3. Private Wall Painting Conservator, Herefordshire, UK

    Stephen Rickerby

  4. Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

    Michiyo Mori

  5. Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

    Takayasu Kijima

  6. Dunhuang Academy, Dunhuang, Gansu, China

    Su Bomin

  7. Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

    Fumiyoshi Kirino

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Zhou, Z., Shen, L., Zhang, H. (2021). The Wall Painting Techniques and Materials of Kizil Grottoes. In: Aoki, S., et al. Conservation and Painting Techniques of Wall Paintings on the Ancient Silk Road. Cultural Heritage Science. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4161-6_13

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