Description:

East Asia, China, Han Dynasty, ca. 206 BCE to 220 CE. A lovely mold-formed pottery head of a female tomb attendant with almond-shaped eyes, a triangular nose with delineated nostrils, and a tall forehead with a petite drilled central cavity, all beneath a lobed coiffure with incised striations on the verso. The head is covered in white pigment, with traces of red pigment around her eyes, nose, and mouth. This type of tomb attendant is known as a "mingqi," or "spirit utensil," created to care for a deceased individual of high status in the tomb. Size: 4.6" W x 6.1" H (11.7 cm x 15.5 cm).

Provenance: private Ventura County, California, USA collection

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#129181

  • Condition: This is a fragment of a larger pottery figure. Repaired from multiple pieces with light resurfacing and overpainting along break lines. Small chips along neck line, face, and coiffure, with fading to original pigmentation, and light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits and traces of original pigmentation throughout.

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April 4, 2019 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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