A few Court Ladies Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906) was a period of prosperity, stablilty and trade (including trade with the Middle East and Japan).  This was a golden age for the arts, and the ceramics of this period ushered in in wonderfully modelled glazed horses, camels and a wide diversity of human figures.   

Tang glazes contained lead and glazed wares were exclusively used for funerary art .

Blue and white porcelains had not yet been developed, but cobalt blue has been seen on some of the originals of this time, and fine white porcellaneous wares were being developed in the Seventh and Eighth centuries. 

However it was only in the succeeding Song Dynasty that this art was to become predominant.

Original Tang Dynasty figures put Damien Hurst to shame in terms of market value.  We stock modern reproductions, which are in themselves very interesting, and usually sold covered with clay dust and carefully weathered, to look as if they are freshly dug out of some ancient tomb.