Page 202 - Christie's Chinese Works of Art March 24 and 25th, 2022 NYC

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION
1061
A LARGE PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A
COURT LADY
TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)
The lady is shown standing on a short base with the
arms folded across the chest and concealed by the long
sleeves of her robe, which falls in heavy folds to the base
to reveal the right foot dressed in a flower-tipped slipper.
21p in. (54.5 cm.) high

$50,000-70,000
PROVENANCE:
Galaxie Art (B. K. Wong), Hong Kong, 25
November 1990.
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.
Yang Guifei was held partly responsible for the
circumstances that led to the An Lushan rebellion of
AD 756, and she was executed by the accompanying
troops as she and the Emperor fled to Sichuan. The
Emperor's grief at her loss was immortalized in one of
China's best- known literary works, The Song of Eternal
Regret. However, excavated figures suggest that this
fashion was already coming to prominence by the time
that Yang Guifei won the emperor's admiration.
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 the present
court lady and three other figures from the Schloss
Collection. See J. Baker, Seeking Immortality - Chinese
Tomb Sculpture from the Schloss Collection, Bowers
Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, 1996, p. 34, no. 17.

PROPERTY FROM THE MCLENDON COLLECTION
Compare two similarly modeled painted pottery court
1060 ladies sold at Christie’s New York, 2 June 1989, lot 136
A LARGE AMBER-GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF A HORSE MCLENDON珍藏 and 16 September 1998, lot 343, and a third example,
TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907) shown holding a dog, 21 March 2002, lot 100.
唐 褐釉馬
The horse is shown standing foursquare on a rectangular base, with its head The result of Oxford thermoluminescence test no.
turned slightly to the left. The forelock and pricked ears are covered with 來源:
cream glaze, and the neck, body and legs are covered with amber glaze. The 藝寶堂, 香港, 1992年12月3日 C122a27 is consistent with the dating of this lot.
pottery saddle is left unglazed.
此器經牛津熱釋光測年法測試(測試編號675A1)，證實與本圖錄之斷代符合 私́珍藏
21 in. (53.5 cm.) long
唐ǎ彩❡陶仕女Б
$12,000-18,000
Ϝ源
PROVENANCE: (BMBYJF "SU 王炳權

香港
年 月 日
Art Treasures Gallery, Hong Kong, 3 December 1992.
此器經Ḫ津熱釋Բ測年法測ぜ 測ぜ編號$ B
，ㄗ實
The result of Daybreak thermoluminescence test sample no. 675A1 is 與本圖錄̃斷代ⓡ合
consistent with the dating of this lot.

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