North China, Tang dynasty (618-907) / mid-700s
Woman Holding Plum Blossoms
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Woman Holding Plum Blossoms as sculpture (North China, Tang dynasty (618-907) · mid-700s).
Tang aristocratic women had a high degree of freedom, especially in contrast with the Neo-Confucianism of the later Song dynasty.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as earthenware covered in white slip with traces of pigment.
The museum's collection notes: Tang figurines placed in the tombs give a vivid picture of everyday life. Images of elegant ladies in various hairstyles, costumes, and activities suggest the fashion of the time. This example of a plump and flamboyant lady is a common type found in mid-8th-century tombs, especially in the cosmopolitan city of Xi'an. Together with other figurines—court officials, musicians, dancers, hunters, foreign travelers, horses, camels, guardian warriors, and guardian animals—such tomb sculptures accompanied the deceased in the afterlife.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtWoman Holding Plum BlossomsOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.