A geometric completion and shape analysis method for damaged bilaterally symmetrical artifacts

Archeological artifacts are important forms of tangible cultural heritage, providing evidence of cultural signification, human values, and the development of manufacturing technologies. The reconstruction of damaged bilaterally symmetrical artifacts is frequently undertaken for research and public display. However, traditional restoration technology requires physical intervention, which can cause secondary damage, and raise questions of authenticity. In this study, we proposed a hybrid non-rigid deformation approach to repair damaged bilaterally symmetrical artifacts based on a study of a heavily corroded metal mask of the Liao dynasty from the Palace Museum, China. In addition, since the mask is always placed over the head of the deceased person, it is an interesting question to capture the characteristic features. We employed geometric morphometrics (GM) and anthropometric measurements (AM) to investigate the geometric variations between the mask and human faces. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach in the application of virtual restoration and shape analysis. These methods have wider application to other forms of archeological and anthropological data.