China, Ming Dynasty, 1368 to 1644 CE. A finely painted pair of molded tomb figures. They wear similar clothing, painted in complementary combinations of green, blue, red, and black, with tall conical hats that are black and red. Each is holding a yellow rectangular object that may be a mirror or a fan, with a decorative back studded with a central boss. Both stand on small, tiered pedestals. Their faces and collars are left buff aside from finely painted black details of eyes and eyebrows and narrow red lips. Their faces are individual, with one chubbier than the other, demonstrating the amazing craftsmanship and time spent on these pieces. Size: 3" L x 3.7" W x 11.45" H (7.6 cm x 9.4 cm x 29.1 cm).

Like Chinese people from the Han Dynasty forward, Ming Dynasty elites had underground tombs full of pottery figures that were made to care for their every need in the afterlife. These two fellows probably represent courtiers. If they are holding mirrors, those were symbolic of a window into the afterlife.

Provenance: private S.W. collection, Los Angeles, California, USA

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#125142

Head has been reattached on one; the other is intact. Both figures have surface wear commensurate with age and some manganese deposits, especially on the face, with well-preserved pigment.