This outstanding ceramic attendant
was made during what many
consider to be China’s Golden Age,
the T’ang Dynasty. It was at this
point that China’s outstanding
technological and aesthetic
achievements opened to external
influences, resulting in the
introduction of numerous new forms
of self-expression, coupled with
internal innovation and considerable
social freedom. The T’ang dynasty
also saw the birth of the printed
novel, significant musical and
theatrical heritage and many of
China’s best-known painters and
artists.
The T’ang Dynasty took control in
618 AD, when the Li family seized
power from the last crumbling
remnants of the preceding Sui
Dynasty. This political and regal
regime was long-lived, and lasted for
almost 300 years. The imperial
aspirations of the preceding periods
and early T’ang leaders led to
unprecedented wealth, resulting in
considerable socioeconomic stability,
the development of trade networks
and vast urbanisation for China’s
exploding population (estimated at
around 50 million people in the 8th
century AD). The T’ang rulers took
cues from earlier periods,
maintaining many of their
administrative structures and
systems intact. Even when dynastic
and governmental institutions
withdrew from management of the
empire towards the end of the period
– their authority undermined by
localised rebellions and regional
governors known as jiedushi –the
systems were so well-established
that they continued to operate
regardless.
The artworks created during this era
are among China’s greatest cultural
achievements. It was the greatest
age for Chinese poetry and painting,
and sculpture also developed
(although there was a notable
decline in Buddhist sculptures
following repression of the faith by
pro-Taoism administrations later in
the regime).
During the Tang Dynasty, restrictions
were placed on the number of
objects that could be included in
tombs, an amount determined by an
individual's social rank. In spite of
the limitations, a striking variety of
tomb furnishings – known as mingqi
– have been excavated. Entire
retinues of ceramic figures –
representing warriors, animals,
entertainers, musicians, guardians
and every other necessary category
of assistant – were buried with the
dead in order to provide for the
afterlife. Warriors (lokapala) were
put in place to defend the dead,
while horses/ camels were provided
for transport, and officials to run his
estate in the hereafter. Of all the
various types of mingqi, however,
there are none more elegant or
charming than the sculptures of
sophisticated female courtiers,
known – rather unfairly – as “fat
ladies”. These wonderfully
expressionistic sculptures represent
the idealized beauty of T’ang
Dynasty China, while also
demonstrating sculptural mastery in
exaggerating characteristics for
effect, and for sheer elegance of
execution.
The current sculpture is a perfect
example of the genre. She stands,
draped from neck to foot in a loose-
fitting white dress and jacket (?),
leaning her weight back slightly on
one foot, while bringing the
forefingers on her tiny hands
together as if in awkward enquiry.
The dress is rendered simply yet
effectively, with creases incised
around the hem and the waist, and a
low-cut sash below the hips, and
large, loose sleeves. Her skin tone is
pale – a traditional measure of social
elites, who did not expose
themselves to the sun's rays – which
contrasts strongly with her red lips,
dark eyebrows and small, enquiring
eyes and retrousse nose. She is
undoubtedly well-nourished, another
marker of social class, and her
rounded jawline and cheeks run
smoothly with the loose contours of
her body. Her hair is gathered up
into an ornate fan- like design with a
tie, the bun carefully folded and
manoeuvred into four distinct
lozenges; this style, which is
associated with aristocratic and court
circles, is known from written,
sculptural and painted sources. This
piece offers a narrative of courtly life
over a thousand years ago, in
superbly delicate and carefully-
rendered detail. This is a stunning
piece of ancient art and a credit to
any collection of Chinese
masterpieces.
- (AM.0028)
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