Chinese researchers have successfully restored two shell paintings from the Warring States period (475-221 BC) in north China's Hebei Province, according to a recent research article published in the Journal Cultural Heritage.

The use of shells as a medium for painting is an exceptionally rare discovery in archaeology, representing an art form that has been largely overlooked.

Employing various techniques such as microscopic observation, computed tomography and multispectral imaging, the researchers from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Renmin University of China and Chifeng University unveiled the exquisite images obscured by soil and revealed the unparalleled shallow relief technique employed in their creation.

Morphological analysis showed that these two shells mainly inhabit the intertidal and subtidal zones along the coastal regions of China.

The identified pigments in the different paintings include cinnabar, charcoal black and malachite, according to the study. These elaborate depictions offer insights into the costume, rituals, life, hierarchy, and art of the Warring States period.

The findings have reshaped previous notions about the early development of Chinese painting, according to the researchers. 

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