Description
| ITEM | Statuette of a servant |
| MATERIAL | Pottery |
| CULTURE | Chinese, Tang Dynasty |
| PERIOD | 7th Century – 10th Century A.D |
| DIMENSIONS | 245 mm x 80 mm |
| CONDITION | Good condition |
| PROVENANCE | Ex English private collection D.M, acquired between 1980 – 1985, previously from Hong Kong art market |
It is likely that the original purpose of the figure was that of a mingqi, terracotta figures designed to be included in a burial in order to accompany the deceased in the afterlife for protection, service and companionship.
They included daily utensils, musical instruments, weapons, armor, and intimate objects such as the deceased’s cap, can and bamboo mat. Mingqi also could include figurines, spiritual representations rather than real people, of soldiers, servants, musicians, polo riders, houses, and horses. Extensive use of mingqi during certain periods may either have been an attempt to preserve the image of ritual propriety by cutting costs, or it may have a new idea separating the realm of the dead from that of the living.
Though these were particularly popular during the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD), mingqi from a broad range of historical periods have been found, with this piece acting as a particularly early example of the practice.
