A PAIR OF PAINTED AND GILT POTTERY FIGURES OF COURT LADIES, TANG DYNASTY, EARLY TO MID 8TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A PAIR OF PAINTED AND GILT POTTERY FIGURES OF COURT LADIES, TANG DYNASTY, EARLY TO MID 8TH CENTURY Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 5 August 2026, based on sample number C126j72, sets the firing date of all three samples taken between 900 and 1500 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot. Expert’s note This exquisitely molded pair of aristocratic ladies provides a fascinating portrait of Tang courtly style. Their elaborately stylized headdresses and low bodices are Persian in inspiration, reflecting the popularity of foreign fashions, particularly those of Turkic and Iranian origin, at the Tang court during the eighth century. Men and women alike adopted foreign styles, while foreign music and dance became fashionable features of courtly entertainment. Fashion evolved remarkably quickly during the Tang dynasty. The slender figures, elaborate coiffures, and distinctive large, puffy shoes seen here belong to an aesthetic that contrasts markedly with the fuller female ideal that came to dominate later Tang art, after circa 750 AD. China, 618-907. Each masterfully modeled, gilt, and painted in vivid polychromy, depicted standing firmly with arms akimbo and hands positioned before the slender torso, clad in a long-sleeved coat with a low padded neckline and epaulets, worn over layers of variously patterned robes, and shoes with elaborately upturned toes. The well-defined, rounded face bears a demure expression, with narrow eyes beneath gently arched brows, a slender nose, and full lips between fleshy cheeks. The hair is neatly combed away from the face and gathered beneath a tall, crested headdress. (2) Dimensions: Height 38.8 cm (each) Literature comparison: Compare a closely related pair of painted pottery figures of court ladies, dated Tang dynasty, in the Östasiatiska Museet, Stockholm, accession number OM-1973-0023. Compare a closely related painted pottery figure of a court lady, dated 7th-8th century, 38.4 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1978.345. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 13 September 2017, lot 79 Price: USD 112,500 or approx. EUR 135,000 (for one) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, decoration, and subject, with similar treatment of the drapery and facial expression. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 21 March 2018, lot 663 Price: USD 25,000 or approx. EUR 30,500 (for one) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, decoration, and subject, with similar treatment of the drapery and facial expression. Note the similar size (38.7 cm).

图片