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GC/MS and proteomics to unravel the painting history of the lost Giant Buddhas of Bamiyan (Afghanistan)
Anna Lluveras-Tenorio, Roberto Vinciguerra, Eugenio Galano, Catharina Blaensdorf, Erwin Emmerling, Maria Perla Colombini, Leila Birolo, Ilaria Bonaduce
PLoS ONE 12(4): e0172990, April 5, 2017
The Giant Buddhas of the Bamiyan valley in Afghanistan dated from about 600AD and were the two largest clay statues in the world, until they were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. They were fundamental pieces of art history not only because of their colossal dimensions, but also because of their influences in ancient Central Asia, being located in a valley that was connected to the Silk Road.
In this study the authors sought to understand the composition of the paint that once covered the statues by analyzing a number of clay fragments collected at the site. They fractionated the paint with three extractions and hydrolyses, giving saccharide, amino acid, and lipid/wax samples for GC/MS analysis. For protein analysis they used strong denaturing conditions followed by digestion and LC/MS/MS to identify the component proteins.
Lipids and waxes were not detected in any of the samples, while saccharides in a few, and proteinaceous matter in all the fragments. The proteomics analysis revealed that milk proteins were present and the authors were even able to conclude that cow and goat milk were the major paint binders.
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