Object Description
A Ming Dynasty hollow-moulded ceramic court attendant, standing upon a rectangular base. This well-preserved figure is portrayed wearing the traditional attire of the Ming Dynasty court, including a deep blue-purple robe onto which a turquoise shawl is draped. The turquoise glaze also features upon the circular offering that the figure holds close to its chest, ready to gift it presumably to the entombed figure in the afterlife. The figure’s facial features are still highly distinguishable thanks to the survival of polychromatic paints: the lips and ears are rendered in an orange-red pigment, while the eyes and eyebrows are defined with black paint. These colours are then echoed in the typically Ming hairstyle of a scallop-edged, tricorn bun.
Date: Circa 1368 – 1644 AD
Period: Ming Dynasty