China, 618-907. Superbly modeled, standing in an elegant pose with her body swayed to one side and her head turned inquisitively. Her hands are held in front of her chest, shrouded within the voluminous sleeves of her long, loose-fitting robes cascading in richly carved folds. Her hair is arranged in an elaborate coiffure and the face is finely detailed with delicate eyes and rosy cheeks.

Provenance: From a private collection in France. A copy of an expertise written and signed by Bernard L. Gall from Galerie Arts et Civilisations in Quimper, France, dated 18 April 2012, confirming the dating above, accompanies this lot. The documents also states a valuation of EUR 15,000 or approx. EUR 18,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Condition: Very good condition with old wear, minuscule losses, structural fissures, encrustations, remnants of ancient pigments. Small holes drilled from sample taking.
Typically, Tang dynasty figures show signs of old repairs, but after a thorough examination under strong blue light, none were found on this piece. However, perfect condition can never be guaranteed with ancient terracotta statues.
Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by QED Laboratoire on 15 January 2024, based on sample number QED2402/FC-0101, sets the firing date of three samples taken between 1000 and 1400 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.

Weight: 11.8 kg
Dimensions: Height 65 cm

This elegant figure, beautifully modeled with carefully incised lines that suggest the folds of the garment, is a particularly large and charming example of the court ladies that became fashionable in the second half of the Tang dynasty. The reign of Emperor Ming Huang seems to have heralded the growth in popularity of a more generous female form and the adoption of less structured, flowing robes. This change in style has traditionally been attributed to the influence of the emperor's adored concubine Yang Guifei, who was reported to have had a rather voluptuous figure. However, excavated figures suggest that this fashion was already coming to prominence by the time that Yang Guifei won the emperor's admiration.

In addition to their robes, the hairstyles of these figures also differ from those of their slender predecessors. While the latter tended to have their hair drawn back from the face and then arranged in one or two elaborate knots, the plumper ladies, like the current figure, tend to have softer hair styles. The hair is much fuller, framing the upper part of the face and is tied in a looser arrangement on top.

Literature comparison:
The figures of this type usually hold their hands in front of them, in order to provide a more graceful arrangement of their sleeves. Some have their hands completely hidden as can be seen in three of the figures from the Schloss Collection. See Janet Baker, Seeking Immortality - Chinese Tomb Sculpture from the Schloss Collection, Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, 1996, p. 34, no. 17. Others among these figures hold a pet animal or bird, as in the case of the figure with a small pug dog in the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, illustrated by G. Hasebe and M. Sato, Sekai toji zenshu, 11 Tang, Tokyo, 1976, no. 29, or the figure gently cradling a songbird in her hand, Seeking Immortality, op. cit., p. 34, no. 17, second from the right.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 September 2019, lot 835
Price: USD 62,500 or approx. EUR 70,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large painted pottery figure of a court lady, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, and near identical size (63.8 cm), with similar pose, robes, face, and hairstyle.