Are the Terra Cotta Warriors still in DC? Did they bring any that were restored to their original colors?
I saw them in Xian in 1983 shortly after they first went on exhibit. Simply amazing. The faces were all different, and many closely resembled friends of Chinese descent that I knew in CA when I lived there. Furthermore, there were many that bore Caucasian faces — probably Turks, or Indians.
They had miniatures showing the "assembly line" of how the terra cotta warriors were made. They had parts of several warriors, with specific faces (and you're right...very individual...not cookie cutter at all) and they had 5 full assemblies and they were painted. They explained how you could tell the rank by the hair style and separated the archers from the infantry and the officers. It was very worthwhile...