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Female figure
Tang dynasty (618–907)
Wood with pigments, paper, and silk
H. 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm)
Excavated from the tomb (dated 688) of Zhang Xiong and his wife,
Astana, Turfan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 1973
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum
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Among the many spectacular finds from the tomb of Zhang Xiong
(d. 633) and his wife, Qu (d. 688), are a guardian
warrior and this figure of an elegant lady. The head
of the figure is modeled in clay and painted white, with makeup
representing the latest fashion. The body has a wooden frame with
paper padding. The sleeveless jacket is of silk, woven to scale,
with two medallions composed of confronted birds within a pearl
roundel. The skirt is made of alternating stripes of patterned
silks of two different colors sewn together. The belt is the earliest
known example of silk tapestry in China. The immense amount of
care and labor that went into making just one of the numerous
figures associated with the burial of Lady Qu is indicative of
the prosperity of Turfan after its incorporation into the Tang
empire in 640.
A Closer Look
This wood and clay doll-like tomb figurine that still wears the
elegant silk clothes in which she was dressed more than 1300 years
ago, provides a unique window into the fashions of seventh-century
Tang dynasty China and eastern Central Asia. (Turfan, where the
figurine was excavated, was part of China during the Tang dynasty,
as it is today. Currently it is known as Xinjiang, or New Territories,
Autonomous Region.)
The figures skirt, belt, jacket, and shawl are made of silk dyed
different colors and woven with different techniques. The garments
were all woven specifically for this figure rather than fashioned
from fabric remnants. The four pearl roundels encircling confronted
birds on her bodice indicate the interest in China in this particular
foreign decorative motif. Her cosmetics represent the fashion
of the day.
Notice
• The different elements in this figurine’s
costume and the variety of patterns that decorate the textiles
• The remarkable state of preservation of this
figurine, which is due to the dry climate of western China where
it was found
• The pigments that imitate cosmetics applied
to her face
Consider
• If a contemporary doll, such as Barbie, is
discovered 1,300 years from now. What deductions could viewers
make about our fashion trends, the status of women, and our
social values?
• The combination of this delicate figurine
and the fierce Guardian Warrior found in the same tomb. Both
objects were made for a prosperous couple who were related to
the rulers of a kingdom in the Tarim Basin.
Visit the Met
• The figure
of a dancer in the Met’s collection models another
popular dress style and hair arrangement of the Tang period.
Did You Know?
During the Tang dynasty it was fashionable to draw
beauty marks on the face, paint one’s forehead yellow,
wear red lipstick and blush, and apply red pigment in floral
patterns and crescent shapes on the forehead. While these fashion
trends may have been imported from Central Asia, there is an
engaging legend crediting the latter to a Chinese princess.
Supposedly, the fashion of drawing a flower on the forehead
was derived from a plum blossom that accidentally blew onto
the forehead of a princess in Nanjing while she was standing
on her balcony. The mark of the petals remained for three days
and was so attractive that it sparked a new vogue in make-up.
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