Beijing, May 31 (EFE) . – A team of archaeologists has discovered lines of gold, silver and colored crystals in the statues of the Longmen caves, in the central Chinese province of Henan, known for its 100,000 stone images of Buddha from the fifth century, the state – led by the Xinhua news firm reported on Tuesday.
The discoveries, in the Fengxiansi cave of the archaeological site, are of great importance as they will allow for better conservation of the statues and greater depth of the artistic techniques used in their creation, said Shi Jiazhen, president of the Longmen Cave Research Institute.
Researchers used the complex generation to analyze the face of the huge Vairocana Buddha statue, carved in the Tang Dynasty era (618-907), and discovered elements of gold and silver that suggest gold is being used, Shi said.
In the frame of the sculpture, they also discovered remains of green, red and black pigments that imply that the statue was probably adorned with brightly colored clothes.
In addition, archaeologists discovered in some other statue of a Bodhisattva, that the eyes were topped with glass colored with the use of silicon and lead.
“Dark green glass after cleaning, something rare in the Tang Dynasty,” said Ma Chaolong, an official at the institute.
The Longmen Caves, which boast more than 2,000 caves, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 and are one of China’s top tourist and cultural sites.
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