North China, Tang dynasty (618-907) / mid-700s
Harpist
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Harpist as sculpture (North China, Tang dynasty (618-907) · mid-700s).
The angular harp, like the one held by this musician, occupied a prominent position in the court orchestras by the mid-eighth century.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as glazed earthenware.
The museum's collection notes: After four centuries of political turmoil and social disorder, a reunited China during the first half of the Tang Dynasty (618–906) was an age of unprecedented prosperity and vitality. Figurines placed in Tang tombs give a vivid glimpse of everyday life. The elegant earthenware ladies in various hairstyles, costumes, and activities suggest the fashions of the time. This lady musician is seated on a circular plinth, playing a harp balanced on her right thigh. The plump face has well-defined features, with straight nose, pursed lips, and round cheeks. Her hair is drawn into a coiled chignon over the forehead. A long, high-waisted robe flows dow
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The Cleveland Museum of ArtHarpistOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.