A beautiful hollow-formed ceramic pottery figure modelled as a court lady, standing on integral polygonal bases, dressed in a loose-fitting floor length robe. The face is sensitively modelled with full rosy cheeks, small mouths, and elongated eyes, framed by the stiff wings of their coiffure. She wears a blue and red robe with floral motifs, both hands within voluminous sleeves and she holds offerings in a dish which she holds to her front.
 
Tang Dynasty China: 618-906 AD.
 
Extremely Fine condition; complete and intact with no repairs or restoration; a little minor rubbing in places.
Height 49.3 cms (19.4 ins).
 
Provenance: Ex London gallery; previously from the collection of a West Country gentleman, formed in 1970s.
 
These stately, elegant figures typified by this figure exemplify the ideal standards of beauty and fashion that prevailed during the high Tang period of the 8th century in China. During the mid-seventh century of the Tang dynasty, the earlier preference for slender female body shapes was superseded in the mid-eighth century by a preference for a more full-bodied silhouette, traditionally called 'Fat Ladies' in the antiques trade.
 
During this period, a more voluptuous body type had become fashionable, which was reflected in women's robes being long and loose-fitting, and their hair was worn in fuller hair styles that framed the face.
 
The figure is accompanied by an official detailed thermoluminescence test report which confirms the dating of the figure to the Tang Dynasty.
 
Literature See Caroselli, S.L. ed., The Quest For Eternity Chinese Ceramic Sculptures From The People's Republic Of China, London, 1987, p.viii, for a comparable figure; see Prodan, M., The Art of the Tang Potter, London, 1960, fig.63, for a comparable figure; see The Metropolitan Museum, accession number 1979.108, for a comparable example; see The Victorian and Albert Museum, accession number CIRC.36-1934, for a comparable example.
 
TL: When a small sample of ancient pottery is heated it glows with a faint blue light, known as thermoluminescence or TL. During its lifetime the pottery absorbs radiation from its environment and it is this which creates thermoluminescence. The older the pottery, the more radiation it has absorbed and the brighter the pottery sample glows. By measuring the TL, the amount of radiation that has been absorbed can be calculated and the information can be used to calculate the approximate age of the pottery.