East Asia, China, Tang Dynasty, ca. 618 to 906 CE. A fine pair of mold-formed pottery tomb attendants standing atop integral rectangular plinths. Each figure presents wearing a shin-length robe covered in faded sancai glaze in orange and yellow hues and clasps their arms in a respectful gesture in front of their chest. Their haunting faces stare forward with beady eyes protruding from beneath gentle lids, and remains of red pigment on the lips of one figure indicate how lifelike these figures would have appeared when first created. The shorter figure is shown wearing a simple cap with a single tab brim rising along the verso, and the taller figure dons a domed cap with a twin-lobed top element. Size (taller figure): 2.6" W x 10.625" H (6.6 cm x 27 cm); (shorter figure): 2.3" W x 9.5" H (5.8 cm x 24.1 cm); 9.875" H (25.1 cm) on included custom stand.Though these figures only display 2 primary glaze colors - orange and yellow - they would have originally had green glaze hues across their bodies as well. The term "sancai" means "three colors" and is a type of decoration in Chinese pottery using intermingled colors for decoration; it is a signature of the Tang Dynasty. Pieces like these would have been made by using white clay to form the overall shapes, firing them to preserve the forms, then applying glaze. Three major kilns in northern China were responsible for making these pieces, which were designed to go into the tombs of Tang aristocracy.The Tang Dynasty was a thrilling time in Chinese history, when trade flourished along the Silk Routes and unified China was the richest country on earth. Chang'an (now Xi'an) was the Tang capital, and it was one of the most cosmopolitan cities on earth, filled with foreigners who had travelled to China to trade; the influence of foreigners and talented native Chinese, combined with the economic prosperity brought on by trade and the new religion from India, Buddhism, created a powerful cultural milieu where poetry and other forms of art flourished.These pieces have been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and have been found to be ancient and of the period stated. Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 2000s All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #170545