Woman Holding Plum Blossoms

mid-700s

North China, Tang dynasty

(618-907)

earthenware covered in white slip with traces of pigment

Overall: 43.8 x 16.5 x 12.2 cm (17 1/4 x 6 1/2 x 4 13/16 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1987.13

Location: 239 Chinese Ceramics and Metalwork

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Did You Know?

Tang aristocratic women had a high degree of freedom, especially in contrast with the Neo-Confucianism of the later Song dynasty.

Description

Tang figurines placed in the tombs give a vivid picture of everyday life. Images of elegant ladies in various hairstyles, costumes, and activities suggest the fashion of the time. This example of a plump and flamboyant lady is a common type found in mid-8th-century tombs, especially in the cosmopolitan city of Xi'an. Together with other figurines—court officials, musicians, dancers, hunters, foreign travelers, horses, camels, guardian warriors, and guardian animals—such tomb sculptures accompanied the deceased in the afterlife.