A LARGE PAINTED RED POTTERY FIGURE OF A COURT LADY

This elegant figure exemplifies the court ladies that became fashionable in the second half of the Tang dynasty, and represents the ideal female of the time. The size, shape of the face, treatment of the robes, and the hairstyle of this figure are similar to those of a figure illustrated in The Quest for Eternity - Chinese Ceramic Sculptures from the People's Republic of China, Los Angeles County Museum, 1987, p. 139, no. 83, and the cover. Another related figure of a painted pottery court lady, with slightly differing hand position, was sold in these rooms, 20 September 2005, lot 180.

Although the models of court ladies made in the early part of the Tang dynasty depict them wearing tight-fitting garments, which accentuated their slender forms, the reign of the Emperor Ming Huang seems to have heralded the growth in popularity of a more generous female form and the adoption of less structured, more flowing robes. In addition to their robes, the hairstyles of these figures also differ from those of their slender predecessors. While the latter tended to have their hair drawn back from the face and then arranged in one or two elaborate knots, the plumper ladies, like the current figure, tend to have softer hair styles. The hair is much fuller, framing the upper part of the face and is tied in a looser arrangement on top. Their full cheeks are often painted, to indicate the use of rouge, and in some cases simple flower shapes are also applied in much the same way that European women used to apply 'beauty spots'.