East Asia, China, Han Dynasty, ca. 206 BCE to 220 CE. A very large ceramic female tomb attendant of a type known as a mingqi, or "spirit utensil" created to care for a deceased individual of high status in the tomb. She stands donning flowing garments with remains of colorful slip accentuating their fine lines in hues of russet red, persimmon orange, sky blue, and cream - holding her hands together within the voluminous sleeves of her robes in front of her torso. Her visage is tranquil comprised of fine-line almond-shaped eyes, gently arched brows, a petite nose, softly contoured cheeks, and pursed scarlet red lips, her centrally parted coiffure pulled away from her face. A stunning and exceptionally large example. Custom wood stand. Size: 10.5" W x 28.5" H (26.7 cm x 72.4 cm)

This figure's long sleeves suggests that she may represent a dancer. During the Han dynasty, dancers would swing their sleeves in elegant ways as part of the choreography as described in the following passage of Han dynasty poetry:

"Their long sleeves, twirling and twisting,

fill the hall;

Gauze-stocking feet…taking mincing steps,

Move with slow and easy gait

They hover about long and continuous, as if

Stopped in mid-air;

Dazed, one thinks they are about to fall…"

Han Dynasty elites had underground tombs full of pottery figures that were made to meet their every need in the afterlife. Tomb attendants like this one are part of a class of artifacts called mingqi - sometimes known as "spirit utensils" or "vessels for ghosts". They became popular in the Han Dynasty and would persist for several centuries. Alongside figures like this one were musicians, athletes, animals, structures… Even though they were mass produced, mingqi of the Han Dynasty often show a high level of detail and naturalism. These were designed to assist the po, the part of the soul of the deceased that remained underground with the body while the hun, the other part of the soul, ascended. Caring for the po seems to have taken on a new level of meaning in the Han period, with more elaborate rituals and tomb construction arising.

The Han Dynasty was a period of wealth and stability for China, and the burial places of their rulers reflected this prosperity; inside of burial mounds, hundreds and sometimes thousands of figures were placed, recreating the daily life of the Emperor's court or a noble person's world. The creation of all these pottery figures spawned a huge industry and the remains of workshops have also been found near the burial mounds.

See a dance figure depicted in motion at the Metropolitan Museum of New York City (accession number 1992.165.19) -http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/42178

Provenance: private Maui, Hawaii, USA collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#125906

Surface wear with losses to slip. Head cast separately. Wooden cylindrical tube to join head to body added later. Holes through area of joined hands probably once held an attribute. Losses to peripheries by neck and base.