**Originally Listed At $300**

East Asia, China, Western Han Dynasty, ca. 200 BCE. A female painted or glazed pottery tomb figure, 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 and a head cover, holding her right hand up to the collar of her robe, perhaps once grasping something, while her left hand falls straight down her side. Han Dynasty elites had underground tombs full of pottery figures that were made to meet their every need in the afterlife. Size: 9.375" H (23.8 cm)

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 burial mounds.

Provenance: private San Francisco, California USA collection

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#122572

Slight losses to feet. Surface wear with losses to pigment, though there are some nice remains of white, orange, and black pigment. Hole between thumb and forefinger suggests the figure may have held an object.