China, Tang Dynasty, ca. 618 to 907 CE. This is a complementary quartet of hollow pottery females made to be tomb figures, known as mingqi, or "spirit utensils". Tang dynasty elites had underground tombs full of pottery figures that were made to care for their every need in the afterlife. This figure may have been painted (rather than glazed), but the paint will have flaked off in the intervening years. Although mingqi were used from the Han Dynasty onward, in the Tang dynasty period, they had their own unique character, often reflecting the international flavor of the Tang court. These women may have been painted to be dancers or even foreigners. Size: 2.4" W x 9.2" H (6.1 cm x 23.4 cm)

Provenance: Ex - Rosensteel collection

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#116127

Two of the women have been repaired; all are missing the majority of their pigment. Shapes are clear.