Large figure of a court lady, Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 China)

56.00cm high    (  22.05 inches high)

very good condition, minor paint loss

The large pottery figure of exceptional quality and painted with well-preserved pigments, standing with the body swayed to the left, the end of her long sleeves hanging gracefully from her hands in front of her corpulent body. The light green cape and robe painted with red florets.
This elegant figure exemplifies the court ladies that became fashionable in the second half of the Tang Dynasty. Although the models of court ladies in the earlier part of the Tang Dynasty depict them wearing tight-fitting garments, which accentuated their slender forms, the reign of the emperor Ming Huan seems to have heralded the growth in popularity of a more generous female form and the adoption of more flowing, less structured robes. This change in style has traditionally been attributed to the influence of the emperor’s adored concubine Yang Guifei, who was reported to have had a voluptuous figure.
Figures of a similar style were excavated from the tomb of Wu Shouzong, who was buried near the Tang capital Xi’an, Shaanxi province in AD 748. See “The Quest for Eternity – Chinese Ceramic Sculptures from the People’s Rep. Of China” , Los Angeles County Museum, 1987 Nos.83 and 84


Oxford Thermoluminescence test available

ref.no.4346