A PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A KNEELING FEMALE ATTENDANT WESTERN HAN DYNASTY

shown with both arms raised, the hands concealed beneath the accordion-like folds of the sleeves coyly shielding the slightly parted lips of her smoothly contoured face revealing only the nose and expressive eyes, below the neatly parted hair pulled back in a loosely gathered knot, the layers of her robes crossed over in front, rising around her neck and gathered close to her slender body, the robe fanned out at the back revealing the soles of her slippers, with traces of white, red and black pigments

Christie's New York, 25th March 1998, lot 97.

The figure has been broken and repaired through the body below the sleeves. The arched sleves may also have been off and reattached and there is a crack or break to the front of the body visible on the interior so this has likely also been repaired. There is typical paint loss and some areas of of the surface appear to have been retouched or lightly filled.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Similar models are included in a group of dancers together with figures playing the qin and figures standing at attention excavated in Baijiakou, near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, exhibited at the British Museum and illustrated in a catalogue edited by Jessica Rawson, Mysteries of Ancient China: New Discoveries from the Early Dynasties, London, 1996, p. 206, no. 108.  Another very close example is illustrated in the catalogue of The Yangling Mausoleum of the Jingdi Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, Xi'an, 2001, pls 13 and 14. Five similar figures were included in the Eskenazi exhibition, Ceramic Sculptures from Han and Tang China, New York 19th - 26th March, 1997, Catalogue, nos. 3 - 7 with the same style of close-fitting layered robe (shenyi) and hairstyle (chuishaoji). Another similar figure is published in Donald Jenkins,  Mysterious Spirits Strange Beasts Earthly Delights, Early Chinese Art from the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Collection, Portland Art Museum, Oregon, 2005, pp. 138 and 139.

The dating of this lot is consistent with the result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C97s12.