East Asia, China, Tang Dynasty, ca. 618 to 907 CE. A lovely pottery female tomb attendant with a characteristically elongated body donning a traditional long robe - her hands clasped together beneath the billowing sash. Adding to the vessel's aesthetic beauty is the desired sancai glaze technique - gracing the surfaces with lustrous glazes of cerulean blue, caramel amber, and creamy white hues. This technique is usually comprised of three colors - Sancai means "three colors" - however, in this case, in addition to the ambler and white hues, a brilliant deep cerulean blue glaze is used rather than the traditional green. What's more, the naturalistic modeling of this mold-made figure's facial contours is quite striking as are the fine line painted detailing of the eyes, brows, and lips. During the Tang dynasty sculptural representations of humans and animals were frequently placed in burial chambers to honor the deceased. Overall, a remarkable piece of visual culture and history! Size: 10.625" H (27 cm)

"Sancai" means "three colors" and is a type of decoration in Chinese pottery using intermingled colors for decoration; it is a signature of the Tang Dynasty. A piece like this would have been made by using white clay and firing it, then applying glaze. Three major kilns in northern China were responsible for making these pieces, which were designed to go into the tombs of Tang aristocracy.

. The Tang Dynasty was a thrilling time in Chinese history, when trade flourished along the Silk Routes and unified China was the richest country on earth. Chang'an (now Xi'an) was the Tang capital, and it was one of the most cosmopolitan cities on earth, filled with foreigners who had travelled to China to trade; the influence of foreigners and talented native Chinese, combined with the economic prosperity brought on by trade and the new religion from India, Buddhism, created a powerful cultural milieu where poetry and other forms of art flourished.

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) and has been found to b of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: ex Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection

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#126579

Head was reattached. Normal surface wear but much stunning glaze remains. Minor roughness to underside of hem - most likely from removal from kiln.