Collection record · Objects & craft
Harpist
The collection record classifies this work as sculpture. It is dated mid-700s. Recorded culture or place: North China, Tang dynasty (618-907).
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Harpist
- Date
- mid-700s
- Culture / origin
- North China, Tang dynasty (618-907)
- Materials and technique
- glazed earthenware
- Dimensions
- Overall: 32.1 cm (12 5/8 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1931.450
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
After four centuries of political turmoil and social disorder, a reunited China during the first half of the Tang Dynasty (618–906) was an age of unprecedented prosperity and vitality. Figurines placed in Tang tombs give a vivid glimpse of everyday life. The elegant earthenware ladies in various hairstyles, costumes, and activities suggest the fashions of the time.
This lady musician is seated on a circular plinth, playing a harp balanced on her right thigh. The plump face has well-defined features, with straight nose, pursed lips, and round cheeks. Her hair is drawn into a coiled chignon over the forehead. A long, high-waisted robe flows down to her shoes' upturned tips.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Edward L. Whittemore Fund · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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