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131 - China, Tang Dynasty (618–907) Court lady known as the ‘Fat L…
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Estimate €2,500 - €5,000
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Description
China, Tang Dynasty (618–907) Court lady known as the ‘Fat Lady’ 618–907 AD In terracotta, depicted standing, hands clasped in front of the bust, concealed by the folds of her long robe, hair styled in a high bun. Traces of polychromy remain. H. 48 cm Provenance: > Terrier Sarrou auction, Paris, 13 December 2003, lot 371 > Galerie La Reine Margot > Private collection Bibliography: > Exhibition catalogue "Myths and Legends 39 - Archaeologies 2006 / 2007", lot 8559 > Exhibition catalogue "La Reine Margot, 1938–2018", photograph 36 Accompanied by a thermoluminescence test confirming the period of production by QED Laboratory, dated 8 August 2025. The statuettes of “court ladies” belong to the mingai, funerary objects placed in the tombs of the elite to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. In the 7th–8th centuries, the cosmopolitan and prosperous Tang court favoured an iconography celebrating the refinement of palace life: musicians, dancers, maidservants, horses and horsemen. The aesthetic of physical fullness reflects a taste for opulence and health, whilst the extravagant hairstyles mirror the fashion of the capital. These figures were originally covered in a white slip and bright colours, sometimes enhanced with glaze, now largely lost following burial. After the An Lushan rebellion (755), tastes shifted towards more understated figures; our example therefore belongs more to the earlier, more lavish phase.
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About the sale Archaeology • Ancient & Modern Art • African & Asian Art • Decorative Arts
Auction location
Auction time 06/27/2026 at 10:30 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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