Extremely Rare Pottery Kneeling Entertainer

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Extremely Rare Pottery Kneeling Entertainer

Han Dynasty, Shaanxi province, China

Measures: High 31 cm.

Note: A Certificate of Authenticity from Becker Antiques (antique dealers since 1969, Amsterdam) will accompany the item.

– The result of the thermoluminescence test, is consistent with the dating of the item.

Extremely Rare Pottery Kneeling Entertainer. The kneeling figure wearing a robe tied at the hips with a red sash hugging the slender body. The loose sleeves revealing a thick white undergarment exposed from the elbow to the wrist, arranged in folds around the neck and visible at the hem gathered to either side of her crossed feet. Her hands held up before her as if holding an object. She is contemplating, her serene face delicately modelled with a serene expression. Extensive traces of pigment remaining.

The fine features and recessed eyes on the face of this figure suggest that it may have been modelled by hand, giving it an almost lifelike presence, unlike the more common type of Han Dynasty ladies which are formed in moulds.

Compare the painted pottery kneeling entertainer in the Han Yangling Museum catalogue, p. 99, fig. 158. and another comparable example, Christie’s London, December 1996, lot 65.