Characterization of Painted Sculptures in Folk Temples of Shaanxi Province: Insights from the Qing Dynasty Yaowang Temple in Heyang County (1724 AD)

The materials and techniques used in the painted sculptures of ancient Chinese folk temples were investigated, focusing on a painted sculpture from the Yaowang Temple (1724 AD), a Qing Dynasty site in Heyang County, Shaanxi Province. Seven pigment samples were collected on-site and studied using multiple analytical techniques, including optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The morphology, interlayer structures, elemental and physical composition of the samples were analyzed. Morphological analysis revealed that the painted sculpture consists of three distinct layers: the pigment layer, the white layer, and the clay layer. Additionally, fibers were identified within the white and clay layers. Compositional analysis indicated that the white layer contained gypsum, quartz, kaolinite, and dolomite; the clay layer consisted of quartz and kaolinite; and the pigments comprised malachite, red iron oxide, amorphous carbon black, massicot, posnjakite, chalcopyrite, and gypsum. Furthermore, the binder used in the painted sculpture was identified as protein glue.