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Each of the standing figurines stands about 1.8 meters high (kneeling archers are about 1.2 meters high). The mass of the terra cotta warriors ranges between 110 and 300 kilograms.

The 81 artists started from a standard mold of the body + legs and separate mold for the head piece. An approximately two to four centimeter thick layer of the terra cotta clay was put into the molds that were luted together before firing in a kiln of between 950 to 1050 deg Celsius. The solid pedestal and legs (not hollow) were one mold, the hollow torso with arms another mold, and the head yet another mold with two pieces (front and back). The ears, noses and hair were added on to the head. The artists probably used a sharp bamboo tool to carve the individual features of each of the figurines. The artists then painted a layer of lacquer on the surface and then colored them with mineral paints of various colors. The colors fade within a few HOURS when they are exposed to the humid air, so the museum staff are using a couple of newly-invented chemical processes to try to preserve the paint on figurines they uncover from now on.

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