Rare Northern Zhou Female Attendant

$315.93

A solidly-moulded, flat-backed, grey earthenware figurine of a female court attendant. This beautiful piece bears traces of the original pigmentation.

The attendant stands facing forward. Her hands held together in front of her, though concealed by the long sleeves of the gown, as was customary for members of domestic staff. The figure is shown wearing a magnificent high-wasted blue gown with thick white hems. Her facial features are slightly in relief, with hair tied into two buns on the top of the head.

Date: 557 - 581 AD
Period: Northern Zhou Dynasty
Condition: Fine condition; some signs of ageing and earthy encrustations on the surface.

In stock

Funerary figures from the Zhou Dynasty are extremely rare, and so there are few comparable examples. However, Li Xian (c. AD 569) was a general in the army, whose tomb was uncovered in 1983 at Guyuan, in Ningxia. This tomb afforded us a few examples of guardian warriors, which can now be viewed in the Guyuan Museum.

To discover more about Chinese terracotta statuettes, please visit our relevant blog post: Terracotta Tomb Attendants.

 

 

Weight 178 g
Dimensions W 5 x H 15 cm
Culture

Pottery and Porcelain

Region

Country

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