This young lady with a full face and delicate features is represented standing in a frontal position. The statue, hollow inside, was moulded in a fine, light and dense clay. She is dressed in a traditional bodice with long arms, obscuring her hands, and a skirt belted above her hips. The movement of the dress is reflected in the delicately-incised parallel lines.
Her face is framed within an almost perfect oval, revealing a certain withdrawal. Her rounded eyes are lowered to the floor. Her eyebrows in semi-circle frame a straight, thin nose. The mouth is small and well-drawn. Her hair is fashioned into a simple bun “half-turned in a sword's blade”.

This is a typical courteous image of a court lady at the beginning of the Tang dynasty. Soft and attentive, she is ready to serve the soul of the deceased and to accompany him into the afterlife, whilst preserving his refined way of living.

Provenance : French private Collection