Ca. 202 BC-220 AD. Han Dynasty. Two large grey earthenware figures of dancers. The elegant clothing comprises flowing, long-sleeved robes decorated with red inserts on the neckline and sleeves. The figures retain most of the original white slip and there is additional decoration in red and black to show the facial features and the hair, which is tied with a hair band between the shoulders. The potters have succeeded in imparting a vibrant sense of fluidity, displaying realism in the stance and adding movement and dimension by the curves of the long draped sleeves. The Han dynasty is the second great imperial dynasty of China (202 BC-220 AD), after the Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BC). It succeeded the Qin dynasty (221-207 BC). So thoroughly did the Han dynasty establish what was thereafter considered Chinese culture that "Han" became the Chinese word denoting someone who is ethnically Chinese. The cultural milieu of the Han dynasty is well documented and we know, for instance, that they were patrons of music and that, in temple rituals, dance was often an important element. To find out more about the Han dynasty and its material culture, see Miller, A. R. (2021). Kingly Splendor: Court Art and Materiality in Han China. New York: Columbia University Press. For more information on dancing in Han dynasty China, see Zhi Dao. History of Dance in China, Ch. 4. This piece has been precisely dated by means of a Thermo Luminescence analysis carried out by Ralf Kotalla, an independent German Laboratory. The samples collected date the piece to the period reflected in its style, whilst also showing no modern trace elements. The TL certificate with its full report will accompany this lot. Size: L:Set of 2: 450mm / W:370mm ; 8.35g. Provenance: UK private collection; formerly acquired in the early 1990s in Hong Kong.