Court Lady Holding a Child

Rather corpulent images of court ladies became popular during the early Tang dynasty and they represented the ideal woman of the time. They stand gracefully enveloped in flowing robes, sporting elaborate hairdos with delicate features complimenting their full faces. Well modeled from red pottery, this rare image depicts a lady of the court standing quietly with a small child cradled in her right arm. It is unusual to see the image of a child in tomb sculpture of the Tang period. While this baby, with its rounded face, appears to be a miniature version of the lady herself, clothing and hairstyles of children in traditional China were androgynous and most children depicted in historical Chinese art are boys, as is likely the case here.