A SANCAI GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF A FEMALE MUSICIAN PLAYING THE PIPA, TANG DYNASTY
China, 618-907. Well modeled standing and strumming a pipa held upside-down with one hand positioned to cradle the head. Dressed in a long pleated robe secured at the chest with a sash falling below her knees, the unglazed face well detailed with heavy-lidded eyes and full lips, her parted hair arranged in an elaborate flowing coiffure, her robe and instrument covered in green, amber, and straw glazes.


Provenance
: English trade.

Condition
: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, losses, firing cracks, glaze flakes, small chips, old repairs, all exactly as expected from authentic Tang dynasty excavations.

Weight: 364.4 g
Dimensions: Height 26.5 cm


The pipa
is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and has been played for almost two thousand years in China, migrating slowly from Central Asia into China during the Han and Sui dynasties. It is held in a vertical or near-vertical position during performance, although in earlier times the instrument was held in a variety of ways including upside down and horizontally (like a guitar), and its twisted silk strings were plucked with a large triangular plectrum. Toward the end of the Tang dynasty, musicians began using their fingernails to execute the exuberant and programmatic repertory that was gaining popularity and eventually became the national style. To facilitate the use of the fingers, the instrument began to be held in a more upright position. Through time, the neck was raised and by the Qing Dynasty, the instrument was mostly played upright.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s London, 21 June 2001, lot 96
Price: GBP 4,935 or approx.
EUR 12,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sancai-glazed figure of a standing court lady, Tang dynasty, 8th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and glaze. Note the size (33.8 cm) and the lack of an instrument.




唐代三彩琵琶陶俑

中國，618-907年。陶俑造型優美，雙手托住琵琶。身著一件長袍，繫在胸前，腰帶垂至膝蓋以下，無釉的臉龐，雙眼微閉，嘴唇豐滿，髮型高雅。施三彩釉。


來源：
英國古玩交易。

品相：
品相良好，大面積磨損、缺損、燒製裂紋、釉片剝落、小缺口、小修。

重量：364.4 克
尺寸：高 26.5 厘米


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2001年6月21日，lot 96
價格：GBP 4,935（相當於今日
EUR 12,500
）
描述：唐代八世紀三彩宮廷婦女陶像
專家評論：比較相近的模型和釉面。請注意尺寸(33.8厘米) ，但沒有樂器。