TANG DYNASTY

Details

A painted red pottery figure of a fat lady
Tang Dynasty
Standing slightly swayed to the left, the hands clasped under the full sleeves of the long robes gathered with a belt around the hip, the softly-modelled face with a helmet-like coif gathered at the top in a double knot, traces of orange-red, green and black pigment over white slip
41.5 cm. high

Special notice

Christie's charge a buyer's premium of 20% (VAT inclusive) for this lot.

Lot Essay

As with other pottery court ladies of this type, the plump figure, loose robes, exaggerated hair style and elegant carriage are a reflection of the fashion of the court during the middle of the 8th Century beginning in the reign of Xuanzong and continuing to the time of Emperor Daizong. This 'ideal' woman was a definite departure from earlier standards. Two court ladies of this type, excavated with others in 1955 from tomb 131 at Gaolon Village, Xian, Shaanxi province, were included in the exhibition, The Quest for Eternity, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 1987, Catalogue, pp 139 and 140, nos. 83 and 84, where it is noted that contemporary literature attested 'to the imposing physical impression created by ladies of the flourishing Tang period'.
The dating of this lot is consistent with the result of the Oxford thermoluminescence test no. 866a80.

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