Fat lady; China, Tang dynasty (618-907)

Fat lady; China, Tang dynasty (618-907)
Terracotta with traces of polychrome.
Measurements: 21 x 7 x 4 cm.
Terracotta figure, decorated with cold applied engobes, probably belonging to a funerary trousseau of the Tang period. It shows a lady, clearly of the court and high class as can be seen by her features, her hairstyle and her magnificent clothes. This type of figurines, known as "fat ladies" by the canon of beauty of the time, somewhat distant from the present, showed courtesans dressed in gala attire, highlighting their costumes and elements with the polychrome used, maintaining in some cases a slight curvature in the body that brings elegance.
The Tang dynasty is considered by historians as a time of splendor of Chinese civilization, equal or even superior to the Han period. Emerging after a period of despotism under the reign of the cruel Yang Di, it was established by Li Shimin who, moved by filial piety, put his father on the throne before assuming the role of emperor himself and founding the Tang dynasty. Stimulated by contact with India and the Middle East via the Silk Road, the Tang empire experienced a creative boom in numerous fields. Buddhism, which had emerged in India at the time of Confucius, continued to flourish during this period and was adopted by the imperial family, becoming an essential part of traditional Chinese culture. Likewise, the development of the printing press extended the diffusion of written works, giving rise to the golden age of Chinese art and literature. The great cultural opening will result in a fundamentally colorful, expressive and very eclectic art, although it continues to be mainly for funerary use, where the artist remains an anonymous craftsman. However, from this moment on, high-fired ceramics, decorated with enamels, will be used as a status symbol, with typologies such as vessels for the table of the litterateur and all kinds of crockery. Terracotta, on the other hand, is still used for grave goods, although stoneware will also be used from now on, especially for the tombs of nobles and scholars.