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