A sancai-glazed figure of a court lady, Tang dynasty

Sze Yuan Tang Collection.

The Splendour of Sancai. The Sze Yuan Tang Collection, Littleton and Hennessy, TEFAF, Maastricht, 2012, cat. no. 34.

Ceramic sculptures of beautiful slender women, fashionably dressed with long high-waisted skirts, and a scarf covering theirs hands, were made to be housed in special niches in the tombs of the Tang nobility and high officials. While made in large numbers, extant examples of standing ladies vary greatly in quality, the present example being among the finest and largest of its type. The detailed rendering of the figure’s pleated skirt, the well-articulated triple-cloud slippers and the controlled application of green and amber glazes are comparable to some of the finest figures of Tang court ladies.

These earthenware figures offer a glimpse into Tang fashion and society. The cosmopolitan and international character of the dynasty had a significant impact on women, who were able to enjoy an unprecedented level of freedom and independence. Foreign fashion was favoured by noble women, as evidenced by these figures: the high waist of their skirts, long and tight sleeves, and low V-neck décolleté blouses, were inspired by Persian fashion.

A figure of similar size and coiffure was found in Guanlin, Luoyang, and is illustrated in Luoyang Tang sancai/Tang Dynasty Tri-Colour Pottery of Luoyang, Beijing, 1980, pl. 2; and another is published in Ezekiel Schloss, Ming-Ch’i. Clay Figures Reflecting Life in Ancient China, New York, 1975, pl. 98, together with a related figure with a different hair style, pl. 97.