Galerie Golconda

Lady of the court, moulded in a fine terracotta and covered with a light slip with traces of orange polychrome. The delicate features of the face are lost under a mass of made-up flesh while the hair is fashioned in a “half-turned” chignon. Her clothing is bountiful with luxuriously deep draping. She has a slight sway to her stance, with folded arms and expressive hands which are very small for her size. She has thread onto her ample gown a tight-fitting bustier with a low neck and short sleeves, called a “banbi”. Her long gown flares towards the ground and provides a glimpse of poulaines, a pointed shoe that is curved at the end and was very fashionable during the last quarter of the 7th century. According to this fashion, the two shoes are different. Excellent state of preservation. Probable small restorations. Statues of court ladies with this size are very rare on the market and usually confirm the provenance from an aristocratic family.
Emperor Xuanzong (AD 712-756) chose a buxom woman as his favourite. It was from this period that feminine images of this type began to multiply. The Tang idealized the buxom woman, calling attention to her blossoming form. Clothing also participated in this aesthetic, rather ample and of the Hufu type. The style was of “barbarian” origin, meaning it originated from the habits of the inhabitants of the Silk Road.