COURT LADY FIGURE, Gray earthenware with slip and pigments, Han Dynasty（206BCE–220CE）

A Han Dynasty female figurine in gray earthenware, decorated with applied pigments.

This standing figure, approximately 46cm in height, represents a robed woman set atop slender, elongated legs. The head is somewhat large; although the torso is simplified, the modeling from the collar at the chest through the sleeves, hands, and hem preserves a clear sense of the human figure.

The surface is coated with a white slip ground, and traces of black, red, and yellow pigments remain. The eyebrows and eyes, the lines of the collar, and the garment patterns preserve the period’s painted treatment; although softened by age, they still convey the distinctive character of Han Dynasty painted burial figures. Particularly striking are the red and yellow lines drawn across the chest and the delicate detailing that survives at the sleeve openings.

During the Han dynasty, numerous terracotta figures representing people, livestock, buildings, and objects were produced. A female figure like this one is among the sculptural forms that convey contemporaneous dress, modes of depiction, and views of everyday life. Though rendered with simplified modeling, the overlapping folds of the garments and the gestures of the hands are preserved, making it a striking example of ancient Chinese figural art.

The body shows no major restorations and, as a gray earthenware figure with slip and pigments, is in relatively good condition. The surface bears soil encrustation, loss of pigment, abrasion, accretions and small chips; the hem and base show age-related wear, but these do not significantly detract from the figure’s overall appearance.

A box is included, but it is considerably worn. The fabric covering shows lifting, tears, soiling, and distortion, so please consider it only as a storage box. The figure itself retains a stable condition for an antique pottery figurine.