A RARE PAINTED RED POTTERY FIGURE OF A COURT LADY

TANG DYNASTY

Details

A RARE PAINTED RED POTTERY FIGURE OF A COURT LADY
Tang Dynasty
Standing with head turned slightly to the right and left hand raised within the full sleeve of her long robes which are belted low on the hips and slit up the skirt above the curved tips of her shoes, with a thick pointed band (possibly fur) framing her full face with its small features, her hair pulled forward and up into a looped topknot, with traces of red, pink black and reddish-brown pigment
14.7/8in. (37.8cm.) high

Lot Essay

The thick, pointed band framing the chin and cheeks is a very unusual feature and based on traces of fine brown brushstrokes may be imitating either a fur border to a high collar, or some kind of fur strip tied around the head. For a figure of a seated male entertainer with a textured band of similar form framing the lower face see Eskenazi, Sculpture and ornament in early Chinese art, London, 11 June - 13 July 1996, Catalogue, no. 26, where it is described as possibly fur or possibly a real beard contained in thin cloth. See, also, no. 25, a group of entertainers, one of whom has a similar 'fur' strip framing the lower face. The full shape of this female courtier's face and the small features indicate that like the entertainers she is a foreigner.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C199b16 is consistent with the dating of this lot.