Han Dynasty Kneeling Court Attendant

A finely modelled Eastern Han Dynasty hollow-moulded court lady, portrayed in a kneeled position, with arms outstretched frontally, as in holding an object. The figure is presented wearing the traditional Eastern Han Dynasty court attire, known as shenyi, consisting of a long bright blue vest tied to the waist and long, flaring sleeves, revealing a bright orange undergarment. The dark hair is arranged in a low braid and embellished by a red band placed across her forehead. Facial features, such as eyes and eyebrows, are rendered through a delicate black paint, while the lips are painted in bright red. The original white, orange, red and black pigments are still perfectly visible to the statuette’s surface. Such colours would have been applied after firing, with the result that they would have been more prone to flaking. However, in this case, the original colours have preserved themselves extremely fine, maintaining their original brightness.