MARBLE STONE STELE Marble China , Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) Dimensions: Height 38 cm Weight: 7356 grams Two courtship women side by side holding a flower bud in one hand, standing barefoot on domed lotus-pedestal bases, backed by a tall peaked mandorla. They are wearing headdresses with ribbons or veils hanging down besides their heads. On the front base the outlines of two dogs in different poses are visible. The dog symbolises the household or house. On the bottom of the back Chinese inscriptions are carved in. The two resemble the ‘Fat Lady’ statues popular figure during the Tang Dynasty, a period which played host to enormous social, political and economic changes, and introduced a great deal of prosperity. Acquired from Langyao Antiques , New York 2010