Guardian Figure

8th century

Aside from serving as military guards, foreigners were employed during the Tang dynasty as trusted civil servants and entertainers-even sometimes as eunuchs-in the court, as represented by this sculpture. Naturally they were retained for service in the afterlife as well, a private component to the entourage of an aristocratic official.

Earthenware with yellow glaze and traces of paint on white slip

42 1/2 x 10 x 8in. (108 x 25.4 x 20.3cm)

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

43.101

Provenance: Yamanaka & Co., Inc, United States, to 1942; [liquidation sale by Alien Property Custodian, Yamanaka & Co., Inc., 1943, lot 482]; purchased from Yamanaka Liquidation Sale by Seattle Art Museum, 1943

Photo: Paul Macapia

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Timeless Grandeur: Art from China"
April 25, 2002 - June 12, 2005

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