Lady with Phoenix Headdress

between 618 and 907

On View

Chinese Art, Level 1, North Wing

Lady with Phoenix Headdress: 1 of Collection Gallery

Lady with Phoenix Headdress: 2 of Collection Gallery

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

Wearing an elaborate phoenix headdress and fancy shoes that curl up at the toes, this fashionista is dressed to make an appearance at the imperial court. Originally, the sculpture may have been one among many in a set of court ladies, made for the tomb of an aristocrat. Called mingqi — a word that roughly translates to “spirit utensil” — ceramic figurines like this one were believed to contain the essence of the person or thing represented, providing the deceased with everything they would need in the afterlife.

The green, amber, and creamy white glaze of this earthenware figure is known as sancai (Chinese for “three colors”). It was especially popular during the Tang dynasty (618 – 907).

Title Lady with Phoenix Headdress

Artwork Date between 618 and 907

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Chinese

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Earthenware with three-color (sancai) glaze

Dimensions Overall: 17 1/2 × 4 × 3 5/8 inches (44.5 × 10.2 × 9.2 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department Asian Art

Credit City of Detroit Purchase

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 29.342

Markings

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Provenance

(Edgar Worch);
1929-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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Published References

Bulletin of the DIA 11, no. 2 (1929): p. 22 (ill.).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Chinese, Lady with Phoenix Headdress, between 618 and 907, earthenware with three-color (sancai) glaze. Detroit Institute of Arts, City of Detroit Purchase, 29.342.