Abstract:In order to elucidate the pigment compositions and technologies used for the painted statues in the Lotus Cave of the Thousand-Buddha Cliff in Guangyuan, we conducted phase and component analyses using stereomicroscopy, metallographic microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The analyses show that pigments of the Lotus Cave statues were applied directly to stone surfaces without a preparation layer. The statues have multiple layers (up to at least three layers) of pigments, which indicate that the statues had been repainted at least twice in the past. The red pigment is made from hematite and cinnabar, the blue pigment from lazurite and azurite, the green pigment from malachite and atacamite, and the white pigment from anglesite. Raman spectroscopy is particularly useful for pigment analysis due to its high accuracy and requirement for very small samples, making it almost non-destructive. The results obtained on painting materials and technologies from the Lotus Cave statues provide scientific evidence for related conservation research.