Guardian Figure
Date8th century
Maker
Chinese
Label TextAside 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.
Object number43.101
ProvenanceYamanaka & 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 CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Timeless Grandeur: Art from China"
April 25, 2002 - June 12, 2005Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection
Dimensions42 1/2 x 10 x 8in. (108 x 25.4 x 20.3cm)
MediumEarthenware with yellow glaze and traces of paint on white slip
Indian
18th century
Object number: 2023.11.250