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An earthenware figure of a standing woman wearing long, draped robes. Her face is plump and her hair sits on top of her head in rounded shapes.

An earthenware figure of a standing woman on a faded grey background. She faces to the right of the viewer and leans on her left hip. She is colored a mottled white and red color all over. She is wearing long, draped robes that cover her legs and arms. Her pointed shoes peek out from under. Both of her arms are bent up with her small, pointing hands in front of her. Her face is plump and her rounded hair sits behind her head and on top with a protruding round bun leaning forward somewhat.

Gallery Text

After the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 CE, China entered a long period of disunion in which the north was occupied and at times ruled by ethnic minorities. The custom of producing ceramic tomb sculptures nevertheless carried on throughout this period, reaching its pinnacle in the Tang dynasty (618–907), one of the most peaceful, prosperous, cosmopolitan eras in China’s history. The Tang capital of Chang’an (present-day Xi’an, Shaanxi province) attracted numerous foreign traders, pilgrims, and goods, as the famed overland trade route known as the Silk Road terminated in this city. Large sets of ceramic sculptures representing the horses, camels, and foreign merchants that frequented northern China have been recovered from burials. Tang ceramic funerary retinues were especially elaborate, featuring fierce armored guards, proud court attendants, and aristocratic equestrians engaged in leisurely pursuits—all serving to demonstrate the high status of the tomb occupant. Large monster masks such as the one displayed here have been discovered on the lintels of tomb entrances, presumably as a means to ward off evil.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2003.202
Title
Tomb Figurine in the Form of a Standing, Plump Court Lady with Upturned, Pointed Shoes and an Elaborate Coiffure, Her Hands in a Gesture at Chest Level
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
funerary sculpture
Date
mid 8th century
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Tang dynasty, 618-907
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/146585

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Molded, reddish buff earthenware with traces of cold-painted pigments over white ground
Dimensions
H. 38.8 x W. 13.5 x D. 12 cm (15 1/4 x 5 5/16 x 4 3/4 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Anthony M. Solomon, New York (by 2003), gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2003.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Anthony M. Solomon
Accession Year
2003
Object Number
2003.202
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Virginia Bower, From Court to Caravan: Chinese Tomb Sculptures from the Collection of Anthony M. Solomon, exh. cat., ed. Robert D. Mowry, Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, Mass., 2002), p. 114, cat. no. 114
  • Zoe Kwok, The Eternal Feast: Banqueting in Chinese Art from the 10th to the 14th Century, exh. cat., Princeton University Art Museum (New Haven, 2019), pp. 142-143, cat. 28

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 1600 Early China II, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 10/19/2018; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/08/2019 - 08/01/2019
  • The Eternal Feast: Banqueting in 10th-14th Century Chinese Art, Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, 10/19/2019 - 02/16/2020

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu