New recruit joins Terracotta Army The terracotta soldiers were created for an imperial Chinese tomb 2,200 years ago
Enlarge Image A German art student briefly fooled police by posing as one of China's terracotta warriors at the heritage site in the ancient capital, Xian. Pablo Wendel, made up like an ancient warrior, jumped into a pit showcasing the 2,200-year-old pottery soldiers and stood motionless for several minutes.
The 26-year-old was eventually spotted by police and removed from the scene.
Unearthed in 1974, the statues are said to be one of the 20th Century's greatest archaeological finds.
The ancient clay soldiers were created to protect the nearby tomb of the legendary Emperor Qinshihuang who united China over 2,200 years ago.
Police confiscated Mr Wendel's costume and sent him home
Mr Wendel is reported to have entered the museum on Saturday where he changed into his outfit, jumped over a barrier and took up a position on a pedestal he had taken along.
"I got to the area where he was supposed to be, looked around and didn't see him - he looked too much like a terracotta warrior," Hong Kong newspapers quoted a security guard as saying.
As Mr Wendel's "performance art" did not harm any of the ancient relics, he was not arrested or charged but given "serious criticism", the reports said.
Mr Wendel had his costume confiscated and was sent back to the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, where he is studying.
― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 18 September 2006 14:26 (nineteen years ago)
― Laurel (Laurel), Monday, 18 September 2006 14:36 (nineteen years ago)
http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2006/09/serious-art-criticism/
― Pete (Pete), Monday, 18 September 2006 15:02 (nineteen years ago)
― kingfish prætor (kingfish 2.0), Monday, 18 September 2006 15:06 (nineteen years ago)
Go ahead, Mister Wendal
― StanM (StanM), Monday, 18 September 2006 15:40 (nineteen years ago)
― jel -- (jel), Monday, 18 September 2006 15:42 (nineteen years ago)
― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 18 September 2006 17:22 (nineteen years ago)
Apparently, you can only tell if you pinch him.
― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 06:37 (nineteen years ago)
http://image2.sina.com.cn/dy/s/p/2006-09-17/U1366P1T1D11027389F1394DT20060917044508.jpg
http://image2.sina.com.cn/dy/s/p/2006-09-17/U1366P1T1D11027389F21DT20060917044508.jpg
http://image2.sina.com.cn/dy/s/p/2006-09-17/U1366P1T1D11027389F1395DT20060917044508.jpg
― StanM (StanM), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 19:28 (nineteen years ago)
― milo z (mlp), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 19:31 (nineteen years ago)
Anybody see the travelling exhibit yet? Worth $30 and a 3 or 4 hr roadtrip?
― For other uses, see Cornhole (disambiguation). (Oilyrags), Wednesday, 8 July 2009 18:17 (sixteen years ago)
I saw these in Xian a couple of years ago. The coolest part about these statues is that when first unearthed, they still looked like they did when first buried: variegated and colorful. Unfortunately exposure to the air oxidized all the paint and they assumed the uniform grayish-brown seen above. IIRC, they've only unearthed one or two of the burial sites; they are waiting until preservation technology has been advanced sufficiently to exhume the other sites, hopefully preserving the original colors.
Oilyrags - Don't know how involved the traveling exhibit is; I dunno if I'd drive 4 hours to see them, but I'd spend the $30 if they were showing somewhere closeby, if that sort of equivocation helps at all.
― I hurt your arm and now I want to dress your arm, please (dyao), Wednesday, 8 July 2009 19:50 (sixteen years ago)
love these dudes
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 8 July 2009 19:53 (sixteen years ago)
http://www.hmns.org/exhibits/special_exhibits/terra_cotta_warriors.asp
This is the one - I'd be travelling from Austin. I'd probably hit the Menil and some other stuff as long as I'm there, just because.
― For other uses, see Cornhole (disambiguation). (Oilyrags), Wednesday, 8 July 2009 20:43 (sixteen years ago)
The coolest part about these statues is that when first unearthed, they still looked like they did when first buried: variegated and colorful. Unfortunately exposure to the air oxidized all the paint and they assumed the uniform grayish-brown seen above. IIRC, they've only unearthed one or two of the burial sites; they are waiting until preservation technology has been advanced sufficiently to exhume the other sites, hopefully preserving the original colors.
I didn't know this, that's fascinating.
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 8 July 2009 20:46 (sixteen years ago)
Hmm yeah if you could make a daytrip out of it then why not? Truth be told I was a little underwhelmed when I went. They keep you well above and removed from the pit, so you just see them from a distance, and everything's suffused with a pale sickly blue from the nasty fluorescent lighting. I imagine it'd be a better experience at a museum exhibition if you could see them up close, even if they were behind a glass pane.
― I hurt your arm and now I want to dress your arm, please (dyao), Wednesday, 8 July 2009 21:41 (sixteen years ago)
Yeah. All those ancient white marble statues from Greece and Rome used to be painted, too. Given how well-modeled they are, I expect the original effect was v spooky. Explains the Pygmalion legend a bit better also.
― Aimless, Wednesday, 8 July 2009 22:40 (sixteen years ago)
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/feb/19/china-calls-on-us-to-punish-terracotta-warrior-thumb-thief
― StanM, Monday, 19 February 2018 16:51 (eight years ago)
Hmm, what would be the perfect symbolic punishment? I am trying to put my finger on it...
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 19 February 2018 18:11 (eight years ago)
drop a block of terracotta on his head
― Big Ched aka The Cheesedriver (Noodle Vague), Monday, 19 February 2018 18:14 (eight years ago)
Make him eat an army of Panna Cotta Warriors.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 19 February 2018 18:15 (eight years ago)