Chinese Tang Funerary Statuette – Mingqi Court Lady In Clay, Tang Dynasty (618–907)

Mingqi – Funerary statuette representing a court lady. Tang Dynasty (618–907), China.
Modeled clay, light-colored slip, traces of red polychromy.
Dimensions: Height 24 cm.
Condition: Good overall condition, wear consistent with age and the nature of the material.
Certificate of authenticity. Appropriate delivery.

This elegant terracotta statuette, fashioned according to the mingqi (冥器, literally "objects of the afterlife") tradition, depicts a standing court lady, arms folded across her stomach, draped in a loose cloak falling in soft folds over a long dress. The silhouette, of controlled sobriety, is distinguished by the high-twisted hairstyle, known as a saber-like style, characteristic of feminine taste during the Tang Dynasty and attested in numerous representations of the period. This fashion, popularized during the 8th century, reflects a quest for monumental elegance and an ideal of opulent beauty, in keeping with the splendor of the Tang court.

Mingqi were an integral part of the funerary furnishings intended to accompany the deceased in the afterlife, ensuring the continuity of their social status and material comfort. Produced in the workshops of the great ceramic centers of Henan and Shaanxi, these objects bear witness to the economic prosperity and cosmopolitanism of Tang China, a period marked by intense trade along the Silk Road.

The surface of the piece, covered with a light-colored slip, retains vestiges of red polychromy, an indication of the care taken in the original coloring. These traces evoke the visual richness of Tang funerary ensembles, where painted terracotta sometimes rivaled sancai (three-color) ceramics in its expressiveness. The representation of women, a figure of refinement and distinction, illustrates here the importance of feminine aesthetics in Tang culture, reflecting both an ideal of beauty and a privileged social status.