Tang Dynasty Fat Lady Court Figurines

The ‘Court Fat Lady’ first emerged as a popular image of Chinese identity under the Zhou Dynasty, which briefly interrupted the Tang Dynasty in the late seventh century. Women were romanticised and heroised: liberated in every sense of the word. Previously, the taste for women, especially concubines, had steered towards slim and slight women, whereas the new Tang Dynasty fashion preferred more buxom figures. Plump women of the high court were enjoying their heyday, and their representation in art and poetry became popular, particularly amongst the royal household.