唐 彩繪陶持琵琶樂伎女俑|Female musician with lute
Unknown Artist
late 7th century
Medium
Earthenware with pigment
Dimensions
H. 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm); W. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm); D. 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm)
Classification
Tomb Pottery
Culture & Period
China · Tang dynasty (618–907)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1923
Accession Number
23.180.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming earthenware figure of a female musician holding a pipa (a pear-shaped lute) captures the vibrancy of Tang dynasty life in late 7th-century China. Standing just under 6 inches tall, this tomb pottery, or *mingqi*, was crafted to accompany the deceased into the afterlife, providing entertainment in the spirit world. Discovered and acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of in 1923 through the Rogers Fund, it the Tang era's (618–907) prosperity and cosmopolitan flair, when China was a cultural crossroads influenced by Central Asian trade along the Silk Road. The Tang dynasty revered mu...