China's terracotta warriors to march on National Gallery of Victoria

More than 35 years after China’s terracotta warriors made their international debut in Melbourne, the ancient artefacts will mount a comeback.

The National Gallery of Victoria announced on Monday that its 2019 Winter Masterpieces exhibition, Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality, will feature eight of the army’s life-sized warrior figures, two Imperial Army horses and two replica bronze chariots drawn by four horses.

Thousands of the life-sized sculptures, which date from between 221 and 206 BC, were discovered in 1974 in China’s Shaanxi province and are considered one of the greatest archaeological finds of last century.

Archaeologists believe the terracotta army was created as part of a mausoleum for China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, to guide him to the afterlife.

Melbourne hosted the first international exhibition of the warriors in 1982.

The new exhibition will include 150 ancient gold, jade and bronze artefacts that date from 1046BC to 220AD.

New works by contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang will also go on display in a companion exhibition, The Transient Landscape, which includes an installation of 10,000 suspended porcelain birds in the shape of Mount Li, the site of Qin Shi Huang’s tomb and the warriors.

• Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality and Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape will show at the National Gallery of Victoria from 24 May until 13 October 2019