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Lot Essay
It was usual during the Tang dynasty for figures that represented personages found in life to be included as part of the contents of tombs. Usually these figures were made of pottery, either glazed or painted. Stone figures of this type appear to be quite rare and suggest that they would have been made for the burial chamber of a person of high rank.
The few grey stone Tang-dynasty tomb figures that have been published include two figures of female musicians of comparable height. One shown playing a pipa in the collection of the Fine Arts University, Tokyo, is illustrated in Sui To no Bijutsu, Osaka Municipal Museum of Fine Art, 1976, no. 295, and also in the Catalogue of the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, 1935-36, London, pl. 630. The other, shown playing a harp, is illustrated in Ancient Chinese sculpture, Eskenazi, London, 1979, no. 3.
Three stone figures of female dancers have also been published. One from the collection of H. J. Oppenheimer was included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, illustrated ibid., pl. 2406. The other two were sold at auction: one at Sotheby's, London, 12 December 1978, lot 259, the other at Christie's, New York, 3 December 1992, lot 178.
The present stone figure appears to be unusual in that it represents a court lady, and is very similar to those made of pottery that were produced during the eighth century when the style for ladies at court was to have a full figure, to have the hair dressed in an elaborate style, and to wear loose robes, sometimes belted low on the hips as seen on the present figure. This style of dress reflects the fashion at the Tang court which gave women the option to dress in clothes styled on those of the men. A pottery figure of this type is illustrated in A Journey Into China's Antiquity, vol. 3, National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, 1997, p. 201, no. 201.
The few grey stone Tang-dynasty tomb figures that have been published include two figures of female musicians of comparable height. One shown playing a pipa in the collection of the Fine Arts University, Tokyo, is illustrated in Sui To no Bijutsu, Osaka Municipal Museum of Fine Art, 1976, no. 295, and also in the Catalogue of the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, 1935-36, London, pl. 630. The other, shown playing a harp, is illustrated in Ancient Chinese sculpture, Eskenazi, London, 1979, no. 3.
Three stone figures of female dancers have also been published. One from the collection of H. J. Oppenheimer was included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, illustrated ibid., pl. 2406. The other two were sold at auction: one at Sotheby's, London, 12 December 1978, lot 259, the other at Christie's, New York, 3 December 1992, lot 178.
The present stone figure appears to be unusual in that it represents a court lady, and is very similar to those made of pottery that were produced during the eighth century when the style for ladies at court was to have a full figure, to have the hair dressed in an elaborate style, and to wear loose robes, sometimes belted low on the hips as seen on the present figure. This style of dress reflects the fashion at the Tang court which gave women the option to dress in clothes styled on those of the men. A pottery figure of this type is illustrated in A Journey Into China's Antiquity, vol. 3, National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, 1997, p. 201, no. 201.