C. AD 618-907. Tang Dynasty. Terracotta full-figured court lady who sways to one side and raises her right hand. This female figure is presented wearing court attire, or shenyi, which comprises a long vest, tied to the waist and long, flaring sleeves. Her robe and her cheeks are picked out in a coral red, while her hair is accented in black. Court ladies, otherwise known as nüguan ?? were present in the imperial palaces of all dynasties. Some served as consorts and concubines, but most filled roles related to management of the imperial palace’s private quarters. During the Tang period there were 19 ranks of court lady. After serving in the palace for five or six years the court ladies were allowed to return to their parents and await marriage Service as a court lady raised conveyed high status to these women and increased their marriage prospects. Good condition. Comes fully authenticated with a TL test from Ralf Kotalla laboratory, Germany. For comparable examples see Mayuyama, Seventy Years, Tokyo, 1976, vol. I, p. 67, no. 178; Exhibition of Eastern Art, Tokyo National Museum, 1968, p. 84, no. 380. A similar item was recently sold at Christie’s for $200,500, see https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-large-well-modeled-painted-pottery-figure-of-1587630-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=1587630 Size: L:500mm / W:220mm ; 3.8kg .Provenance: Important estate collection from Oxfordshire; formed in the 1970s-2000.