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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.
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