Woman Holding Plum Blossoms

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.

Provenance

Pettingil Collection (?-1959); The Pan-Asian Collection, New York, NY (1959-1981); (Robert H. Ellsworth, Ltd., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (1981?-1987); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1987-)

Woman Holding Plum Blossoms

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mid-700s

Accession Number

1987.13

Medium

earthenware covered in white slip with traces of pigment

Dimensions

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

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund