Ca. 202 BC–220 AD. Han Dynasty. A well-modelled, pottery standing female dancer with arms stretched out in opposite directions, the hands well hidden within the long, voluminous sleeves of the tight-fitting robe, the face carved with delicate features and the hair pulled back behind the ears and gathered into a knot on the back. The elegant clothing comprises flowing, long-sleeved robes decorated with red and light blue inserts on the neckline, waist, and sleeves. The figure retains most of the original white slip and there is additional decoration in pink and black to show the facial features and the hair. The potters have succeeded in imparting a vibrant sense of fluidity to the standing figure, displaying realism in the stance and adding movement and dimension by the curves of the long-draped sleeves. The Han dynasty is the second great imperial dynasty of China (202 BC–220 AD), after the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC). It succeeded the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC). So thoroughly did the Han dynasty establish what was thereafter considered Chinese culture that “Han” became the Chinese word denoting someone who is ethnically Chinese. The cultural milieu of the Han dynasty is well documented, and we know, for instance, that they were patrons of music — as this dancing lady indicates — and that, in temple rituals, dance was often an important element. For a comparison piece of the standing dancers, see https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4284799. To find out more about the Han dynasty and its material culture, see Miller, A. R. (2021). Kingly Splendor: Court Art and Materiality in Han China. New York: Columbia University Press. This piece has been precisely dated by means of a Thermo Luminescence analysis carried out by Ralf Kotalla, an independent German Laboratory. The samples collected date the piece to the period reflected in its style, whilst also showing no modern trace elements. The TL certificate with its full report will accompany this lot. Provenance: From the private collection of a Somerset gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1990s on the UK /European art markets. Size: L:495mm / W:390mm ; 5.5kg