A PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A LADY TANG DYNASTY

the slender, elegant figure standing with arms bent and hands held at the waist with index fingers pointed up, wearing a close-fitting tunic belted below the deep open collar framing a beaded necklace, with winged projections at each shoulder and ruffles on the upper arm of the long sleeves, with up-turned cloud-toe shoes projecting beneath the flaring skirt, the face delicately painted with finely drawn details, the hair arranged in two elaborate topknots, with extensive red, green and black pigment and traces of gilding 

Sotheby's New York, 15th September 1999, lot 71. 

The figure's head has been off and re-stuck at the neck, and the forefingers have been off and re-stuck. There are restored breaks to each arm at the upper arm and at the wrist. The pigments on the garments and face have been refreshed. The central bead of the necklace has been restored.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Compare a similar figure of this type, with a different hair arrangement, in the T.T. Tsui Collection, illustrated in Splendour of Ancient Chinese Art. Selections from the Collections of T.T. Tsui Galleries of Chinese Art Worldwide, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 17. Further examples in the Eumorfopoulos Collection are illustrated in R.L. Hobson, The George Eumorfopoulos Collection. Catalogue of the Chinese, Corean and Persian Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1925, pl. XXVIII, nos 181-182. 

The dating of this lot is consistent with the result of a thermoluminescence test, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, no. 01703.