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Conservators protect Terracotta Army figures by treating excavation as a medical emergency for both painted surfaces and clay. They keep newly exposed lacquer and pigments moist, document every fragment, inspect hidden damage with ultrasound and 3D imaging, then clean, consolidate and reassemble the pieces under controlled environmental conditions.
The central problem is not simply broken clay. A water-sensitive lacquer ground lies beneath much of the paint; if it dries too quickly after burial, it shrinks and curls, pulling the colors away. Restoration therefore proceeds in stages tailored to each fragment rather than through a single paint-repair recipe.
What conservators are trying to save
The Emperor Qinshihuang’s Terracotta Army Museum contains approximately 7,000 life-size terracotta warriors and horses. Each figure is an archaeological object made of earthen clay, but many also retain a complex surface: a lacquer ground, mineral and organic colorants, and details such as clothing patterns, armor, facial features and hair.
That layered construction determines the conservation strategy. The structural clay can survive excavation shock differently from the lacquer and pigment above it. A fragment may look solid while its painted skin is ready to detach. Conservators must therefore stabilize the surface before attempting major joins, and they must preserve evidence that dirt, residues and fracture edges may contain.
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Wang Chunyan of the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum summarized the priority this way: “The greatest effort we make to safeguard the Terracotta Warriors goes into protecting the varnish and colorful painting.”
Why colors disappear after excavation
Burial provides a relatively damp, stable environment. Moisture remains in the lacquer beneath the pigment for centuries. Once a painted fragment is exposed to substantially drier air, that lacquer can contract, warp and curl. The pigment layer attached to it may lift in flakes or detach completely. The apparent loss of color is therefore often an excavation and drying problem, not evidence that the figures were originally unpainted.
Conservators slow that transition immediately. Moisture preservation buys time for examination and treatment, but it does not guarantee that every original hue can be recovered. Some areas have already detached, degraded or been lost before specialists could intervene. Treatment decisions are made around the condition and evidence of each piece.
The conservation workflow, from pit to storage
Work is organized as a sequence because an intervention that is safe for stable clay can damage a fragile painted layer. The following stages are connected, but specialists may repeat or pause them when a fragment behaves unexpectedly.
1. Provide first aid in the excavation area
Conservation staff work at tables inside or beside the pits. As painted material appears, they maintain controlled moisture conditions to reduce lacquer shrinkage. Newly exposed pieces are not treated as ordinary dry pottery: moving them or allowing rapid evaporation before assessment can turn a recoverable paint layer into loose flakes.
The newer facilities connect excavation, transfer, restoration and storage. This shortens the time that vulnerable material spends in uncontrolled conditions and reduces handling during transport.
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2. Record each fragment before changing it
Before cleaning, joining or applying a consolidant, conservators record the fragment’s size, weight, condition, painted areas, visible patterns and exact excavation location. The record becomes the reference for every later decision. It can show whether a color is original, transferred from an adjoining piece, or a modern treatment residue; it also helps teams search for matching fragments from the same figure.
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Ultrasonic testing can reveal internal fractures and changes in density that are not visible on the surface. Three-dimensional imaging records shape, fracture edges and the position of painted details without requiring a physical join. Together, these methods help specialists decide whether a piece can support handling, where a break continues beneath a surface, and how fragments may fit.
4. Clean selectively, not automatically
Cleaning is staged. Loose soil and deposits that obscure a surface may be removed, but residues can also preserve information about burial, pigments or previous treatments. Conservators retain material that merits study and remove only what the treatment plan identifies as harmful or obstructive. A clean-looking surface is not always a better-preserved surface.
5. Strengthen lacquer and pigment
When the lacquer or paint is powdering, lifting or separating, a consolidant can bond the fragile layers. The Getty Conservation Institute’s treatment studies require materials with good long-term stability, at least partial reversibility and tolerance for seasonal climate changes.
Application is deliberately gradual. Consolidant substitution begins with lower concentrations and increases step by step as the lacquer adapts. Rushing to a stronger solution can create stresses and cracks. The treatment must also avoid blocking future examination or making a later, safer retreatment impossible.
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6. Reassemble the clay fragments
After surfaces and fracture edges are stable enough to handle, specialists fit heads, torsos, arms, legs and other parts by hand. They compare geometry, break patterns, weight and recorded excavation positions rather than relying on appearance alone. Adhesives and joining methods are selected for the specific load and material condition; a strong bond that cannot be reversed or that places stress on painted edges is not automatically a successful repair.
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7. Transfer, store and monitor
Once treated, figures and fragments move through controlled storage and display systems. Environmental monitoring continues because a consolidant that performs well during treatment must also tolerate the museum’s seasonal conditions. Linking storage to excavation and restoration helps staff detect changes before flaking, cracking or distortion becomes extensive.
What changed with the 2024 conservation facilities
The on-site Pit 1 conservation laboratory and the Pit 2 excavation and conservation platform began operating in 2024. Their design brings excavation and treatment closer together instead of sending newly exposed material through a long, uncontrolled transfer chain.
| Conservation need | Method used at the facilities | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Prevent rapid moisture loss | Controlled humidity and nitrogen-filled moisture preservation | Slows lacquer shrinkage while a fragment is assessed |
| Find hidden structural damage | Ultrasonic testing | Shows fractures and condition that may not be visible externally |
| Preserve shape and fracture evidence | Three-dimensional imaging and systematic recording | Supports matching, treatment planning and later reconstruction |
| Prepare surfaces for treatment | Staged cleaning | Removes harmful or obstructive deposits while retaining useful evidence |
| Improve handling strength | Controlled reinforcement and consolidation | Reduces flaking and breakage during study, joining and storage |
Nitrogen-filled preservation is a moisture-management measure, not a substitute for restoration. It creates a controlled microenvironment while the team completes records, tests and treatment. The facilities represent an expanding conservation process; they do not mean that every excavated figure has already been restored.
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Conservators separate three related but different problems:
- Lacquer ground: This moisture-sensitive layer can shrink, curl and pull paint away as it dries. Its stabilization receives priority immediately after exposure.
- Pigment and painted decoration: Pigment may be powdery, flaking or detached from the lacquer. Any adhesive or consolidant must secure it without obscuring color, pattern or analytical evidence.
- Earthen structure: Clay fragments carry the figure’s weight and geometry. Joins must be mechanically appropriate, visually unobtrusive where required, and compatible with future examination.
The Getty studies describe a demanding climate envelope for materials: roughly 2°C and 20% relative humidity in winter to 37°C and 85% relative humidity in summer. Those figures define treatment-design constraints for consolidants and adhesives; they are not a promise that a product will perform identically in every case. Materials are chosen for long-term stability, partial reversibility and the ability to tolerate repeated seasonal movement.
How conservators put broken figures back together
Reassembly starts with evidence rather than a visual guess. A 3D model can be rotated to compare fracture surfaces and test a proposed orientation before the real pieces are moved. Excavation records help distinguish fragments from one figure from pieces that were displaced or mixed in the pit. Weight and balance matter as much as a clean-looking seam: a head that fits geometrically but overloads a weakened neck may need a different support plan.
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Manual fitting remains essential. Specialists test joins incrementally, protect painted edges, and document the position of each component. Research programs involving German and Chinese institutions have examined 3D reconstruction, reassembly, gluing and consolidation of earthen structures. These studies do not replace the conservator’s judgment; they provide safer ways to evaluate options before applying adhesive.
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Technology used before and during restoration
Ultrasonic examination
Sound waves help identify internal cracks, voids and changes in the clay body. Because the method can be applied without cutting a fragment open, it is useful before a proposed join or reinforcement.
Three-dimensional imaging
Scanning captures dimensions and surface geometry digitally. Conservators can compare fragments, model missing areas and test a reconstruction while preserving the original pieces in their current state. The digital record also supports later researchers if a physical assembly must be dismantled.
Material and layer studies
Laboratory teams study pigments, lacquer and simulated painted layers to understand how flaking begins. Smithsonian conservation records describe experiments with simulated lacquer and pigment systems that reproduce the stresses seen in archaeological surfaces. Such models let researchers test consolidation behavior without risking an irreplaceable warrior.
Integrated documentation
Images, condition notes, measurements, test results and treatment decisions are linked to the fragment record. This is what turns scanning or spectroscopy into conservation evidence: the result can be traced to a specific piece, location and intervention.
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Can the original paint be saved?
Sometimes substantial color survives, especially when the lacquer and pigment remain attached and are stabilized soon after exposure. In other cases, only small flakes, stains or microscopic residues remain. Conservators can secure what is present and document its position, but they should not repaint losses as if a modern reconstruction were original evidence.
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A restored figure may therefore display a mixture of original paint, stabilized fragments and visually quiet areas where evidence is insufficient. The goal is to preserve authentic material and make the reconstruction understandable, not to create an artificially complete surface.
Why there is no single “paint restoration” recipe
Two fragments can have the same color but require different treatment because their lacquer moisture, flaking pattern, clay strength and fracture history differ. A consolidant that penetrates one piece may stain another or seal evidence needed for analysis. Likewise, an adhesive suitable for a sheltered structural join may be inappropriate beside a lifting pigment layer.
Conservators therefore compare options by four questions:
- Is the intervention needed for immediate survival, safe handling or long-term display?
- Will the material remain stable through seasonal temperature and humidity changes?
- Can the treatment be partly reversed or safely retreated?
- Does the intervention preserve information needed for future research?
What remains uncertain
Excavation and conservation are continuing. The available museum reports do not provide a date when every figure will be fully restored, and the 2024 facilities should be understood as an expanding capability rather than a completed project. Some fragments still require identification, testing, stabilization or a secure storage plan before they can be considered ready for display.
That unfinished status is normal for a site of this scale. A careful treatment may take longer than a quick visual repair because conservators must allow materials to equilibrate, document each decision and avoid sacrificing original evidence for speed.
How to learn more
For technical detail, Conservation of the Polychromy of the Terracotta Army of Qin Shihuang, published by the Getty Conservation Institute, discusses lacquer stabilization, consolidants, adhesives and environmental requirements. The museum’s colors-and-conservation educational guide presents the subject for teachers and general readers, while ongoing German-Chinese research addresses pigments, original appearance, 3D reconstruction, reassembly, gluing and consolidation of earthen structures.
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