A RARE LARGE PAINTED RED POTTERY FIGURE OF A COURT LADY HOLDING A BIRD TANG DYNASTY

Details

A RARE LARGE PAINTED RED POTTERY FIGURE OF A COURT LADY HOLDING A BIRD TANG DYNASTY

The imposing figure well modeled with body gracefully swayed to one side, delicately holding a bird with raised wings and tail in her hands, her layered robes blousoned at the sides beneath the crisply draped sleeves and gathered around the hips by a black belt finely molded at the back with plaques and the tucked-under end which loops outwards from the body, the outer robe slit at the sides to show the skirt of the under-robe and the tips of her pointed shoes incised with fine striations, perhaps in imitation of woven slippers, her full face modeled with small features set in a sweet expression with mouth slightly open, her hair drawn up and forward from the back in a roll which frames the ears on the sides and is topped by pendent double loops just above the forehead, with extensive white slip and traces of black, orangy-red, red and pink pigment remaining
22¼in. (56.5cm.) high

Literature

The Tsui Museum of Art, Chinese Ceramics I, Hong Kong, 1991, no. 105

Lot Essay

This charming figure resembles those figures being produced in the mid-8th century, around the time of the death of Wu Shouzhong in 748. The shape of the face, facial features and hair style are very similar to smaller figures of somewhat earlier date, circa second quarter of the 8th century, but the large size and style of clothing are comparable to those figures found in the tomb of Wu Shouzhong, Kaoloucun village, Xian. For illustrations of both of these types of figures see Margaret Medley, T'ang Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1981, p. 48, pl. 36-38 for the earlier, glazed type and p. 50, pl. 39-40 for the later, larger and unglazed type

Compare, also, the large unglazed figure of a lady wearing quite similar, belted robes and with a similar hairdo, her left hand raised, perhaps to hold a bird, included in the exhibition, Zui To no Bijutsu (Arts of the Sui and Tang), Osaka Municipal Art Museum, Osaka, 1976, Catalogue, p. 22, no. 1-187. A smaller figure (15in. high) of related type shown with a bird perched on her right hand is illustrated by E. Schloss, Ancient Chinese Ceramic Sculpture, vol. II, Stamford, Connecticut, 1977, pl. 125

The result of Oxford thermoluminescence test no. 866b44 is consistent with the dating of this lot