**First Time At Auction**

East Asia, China, Tang Dynasty, ca. 618 to 907 CE. An elegant ceramic female court attendant, standing proudly, wearing finely decorated ceremonial vestments that embellish her feminine form from shoulders to toes, and holding her hands before her posed in fists as if they once held regal implements. Her sensitive visage is composed of delicate features crowned by an elaborate coiffure. Court attendants served an important role in the management of the imperial palace's private quarters. During the Tang Dynasty, service as a court attendant conveyed high status and increased marriage prospects. Size: 4.2" W x 12.8" H (10.7 cm x 32.5 cm)

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, Buddhism, from India created a powerful cultural milieu where poetry and other forms of art flourished.

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection; ex-Showplace Antiques, New York City, New York, before 2010

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.

#161181

Repairs to head at neck, upper arms at biceps, and lower arms at forearms, with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Abrasions and nicks to base, body, arms, and head, with fading and minor chipping to pigmentation, and light encrustations. Great preservation to pigment across body and head.