Tang Dynasty Terracotta Court Lady Figurine
£ 3,950.00
A finely sculpted terracotta Tang dynasty court lady standing in a relaxed and refined stance. Her right hand is raised in an elegant gesture across her chest, with her left hand concealed by the loosely draping sleeve. The lady displays distinctive characteristics of an imperial court lady of the Tang Dynasty, such as elongated eyes, pointed nose, and a dimpled chin. Her full cheeks are painted with a light rouge-coloured pigment, and her small lips in a bright red. Her hair is gathered into a characteristic court coiffure, featuring a top knot drawn-up high known as a ‘fallen horse’ chignon. She is portrayed wearing a long robe known as a Qixiong Ruqun (齐胸襦裙, a long sleeve garment including a skirt with the waistband above the breasts and an upper garment tucked inside), a typical fashion during the Tang Dynasty. The garment falls to her feet with detailed pleats showing the folds in the loose fabric, giving the figure a sense of grace and dynamism. It is pigmented with the colours green, ochre, red and brown, which are still visible to the surface. The figure’s shoes, Qiào tóu lǚ (翘头履, shoes with toes upturned), was another popular style in the Tang Dynasty, and would help prevent stepping on long garments. The heads of these shoes are decorated with floral patterns, and peep out from the hem of her dress. The figure stands atop a heptagonal flattened base, which features a hole underneath for the firing process.
This piece is accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report no. 47CM180321 from Kotalla Laboratory.
Date: Circa 618-907 AD
Period: Tang Dynasty
Provenance: From a West Country, UK, collection, 1990s.
Condition: Good Condition. It is complete and intact, with fine, clear features. Paint faded from age, some signs of wear such as minor surface scratches and earthy encrustations. Three small perforations to the reverse from TL test.
In stock
The Tang era is heralded as a golden age in Chinese history. It witnessed the prosperity of culture, economy, diplomacy and politics under a unified government. Stability within China led to an expansion of foreigners entering and living within the country, bringing with them their own cultural and social habits. People were open to new ideas and beliefs, integrating this learning from new cultures. Art was a particular genre that flourished with this new prosperity. Like other areas of the Chinese world, Tang art was influenced by the influx of new ideas and cultures. The emergence of the ‘Court Fat Lady’ as a popular image of Chinese identity first made its appearance under the Zhou Dynasty, which briefly interrupted the Tang Dynasty. Women were romanticised and heroized, and even thought to have been liberated during this era. This included having political influence, as seen through the Empress Wu Zetian (AD 624-705). ‘Fat Lady’ figures represented Tang beauty standards, with the fashion of court robes changing to adapt to the fuller figure rather than the previous standard of slimmer body types. The origins of depictions of ‘Fat Ladies’, with their full figures, elaborate loose robes and stylised hair, have been traced back to the imperial concubine Yang Gui Fei (AD 719-756), who was believed to be one of the four great beauties of the Tang Dynasty and the most favoured concubine of Xuanzong emperor (AD 712-756). These figures, interpreted as a celebration of female beauty, are thought to have been decorative and funerary items.
For more information on Tang Dynasty Fat Women, please see our blog post: The Importance of the Fat Lady in Chinese Tang Art
