10. PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A SPORTIVE NOBLEWOMAN
Tang Dynasty (618-907)
19 5/8” (49.9 cm.) high

The result of the Oxford Authentication Thermoluminescence test no. C198y84 dates the figure to between 900 and 1500 years before 1998.

Sculpted from reddish brown pottery, the relaxed standing figure wears a red surcoat painted with elaborate clusters of foliate motifs in black on a brilliant scarlet ground. The robe has been thrown off on the right side with the sleeve hanging down the back of the figure, revealing an undershirt painted with fine floral motifs. The right hem of the robe is tucked in a swag into the belt revealing traces of green pigment on the underside.

This figure belongs to an exclusive and imaginatively hand sculpted group of pottery with great detail. These were modelled and carved from solid clay rather than moulded in parts and assembled as is the case with most Tang burial pottery. The latter examples are usually hollow with clear markings in the interiors of the models where the clay had been pressed into moulds and then joined into an integral whole. The current example is very heavy in weight and probably belongs to an elite group including three other very rare figures published by Eskenazi, Early Chinese Art - 8th Century BC to 9th Century AD, 1995, nos. 39-41, all made from solid clay and exceptional in their lively sculptural quality. No. 41, the painted pottery figure of a court lady, was subsequently published in the catalogue commemorating the opening of the Miho Museum, Japan, 1997, no. 139. In the entry, Annette Juliano comments, “the unusual construction of the figure raise the question of whether this is or is not a tomb sculpture”. Like these three other figures, the present model has a vertical hollow between the legs to prevent the solid clay sculpture from exploding in the kiln during firing.

Court ladies of the Tang period were often very sportive and wore masculine dress when they participated in games such as polo. However, they are very rarely portrayed as singular figures in this mode of dress. In particular, this combination of an undershirt with a surcoat with the right sleeve thrown off as if to cool off after vigorous exercise, appears to be unique. Female polo players were common at this time and were frequently portrayed in earthenware sculptures of the period (see no. 11 in this catalogue).