A painted pottery figure of a court lady


Tang Dynasty The elegant figure well modelled, standing in a swaying pose with hands clasped within the full sleeves of the loose robes falling in deep folds over the upturned slippers, a shawl falling gently over the shoulder and long robe cut square above the chest, the round face framed by the long hair drawn into an elaborate coiffure drawn up into a large overhanging chignon, with traces of coloured pigments. 33.5cm (12in) high.
|The Property of a Gentleman 士紳藏品唐 陶胎彩繪仕女俑Provenance: Bluett & Sons Ltd., LondonCarters Fine Art Ltd., London, 1996Jean-Yves Ollivier Collection來源：倫敦古董商Bluett & Sons Ltd.倫敦古董商Carters Fine Art Ltd.，1996年歐宗易先生珍藏The elegant modelling of the present figure, characterised by a full body and thin garments falling gracefully to her feet, reflects the changes in the ideal of feminine beauty taking place during the middle of the 8th century. At this time, the highest-ranking classes of the Tang dynasty had become more sedentary and interested in interior pursuits. Tang poets spoke passionately about these new canons of beauty. Xu Feng in his 'Palace Poem' wrote that 'Court ladies in their quarters adorning their faces at dawn, peering out to search for their men who are now late, whiling away the monotonous time listening to the dripping of the water-clock, wearing silk gowns and refreshing their perfume', see W.Bynner (trans.), Tang Shi San Bai Shou, New York, 1920, vol.1, n.221.Compare with a similar painted pottery figure of a lady, Tang dynasty, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated by S.Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1975, p.67.A related pottery figure of a court lady was sold at Christie's New York, 24 March 2011, lot 1278.粉面，細眉，鳳眼，櫻唇，髮髻高聳前傾，垂於雙頰，身著白裙，外罩翠色披肩，雙手垂立，體態豐盈，身微側傾。紐約大都會博物館藏一件類似唐代彩繪侍女俑可資參考，見S.Valenstein著，《A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics（中國陶瓷手冊）》，紐約，1975年，頁67。另可參見佳士得紐約2011年3月24日售出一件彩繪侍女俑，拍品1278號。Oxford Authentication Ltd公司熱釋光檢測結果（2018年8月1日，編號C118j30）顯示年代與本拍品年代一致。The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no.C118j30, dated 1 August 2018, is consistent with the dating of this lot.