TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)

Wood figures dating to the Tang dynasty are extremely rare. The few wood figures known dating to the Tang dynasty often appear to follow painted pottery models, and generally depict court ladies, such as the present figure. Alongside the present figure, two painted wood figure of ladies are also published in Ancient Chinese Sculptural Treasures: Carvings in Wood, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, June 1998, nos. 38 and 40. Other examples include one figure exhibited by Eskenazi, Ancient Chinese Sculpture from the Alsdorf Collection and Others, London, 12 June - 6 July 1990, no 6., and two figures exhibited by J.J. Lally & Co., Arts of Ancient China, New York, 31 May - 23 June 1990, nos. 14 and 16, both now in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession numbers 1997.442.7.1 and 1997.442.7.2 respectively.