How to investigate precious works of art without damaging them?

Scientists have enlisted to help make sense of it.

The artist’s stone mosaic is a life-size homage to the Renaissance anatomist

State-of-the-art analytical techniques have helped unravel the mystery, revealing even more about the object’s history.

To get the answer, the restorer had to agree to give up part of the irreplaceable 26-inch art in the name of science. An international team of researchers analyzed 11 of her tiny drilled samples, each weighing just a few milligrams. Samples taken from different parts of the Terracotta Warriors underwent a series of different tests.

By analyzing everything from a sample’s chemistry to its molecular composition, scientists made the most of a small pile of powder.

One technique, X-ray powder diffraction, studies how X-rays behave when they are trained on minerals and other materials that have been ground into powders. Different materials bend light rays in different ways. This technique helps identify mixtures of substances and compositions of very small samples.

Other techniques included Raman spectroscopy, which examines how light from a laser beam scatters when it hits a sample.

The researchers describe their research in the journal Heritage Science.

The tassels were not made of terracotta, but plaster held together with animal glue. Other tassels on horse saddles revealed evidence of multiple repairs over the years .

Ultimately, it was discovered that the tassel was not the original, so the museum removed it.

The study will help parents make better decisions about how to keep their horses in good shape. said it will continue to analyze the museum’s objects.

The restored statue and other depictions of horses from China’s long history will be on display at the museum from October 7.