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Standing Female Tri-color glazed pottery Tang dynasty Height 42.0 cm National Museum of Shaanxi History This early 8th-century figurine with her hands hidden in her sleeves in front of her chest and smiling face slightly slanted, gazing upward, was discovered in Zongbu, a village in the western suburbs of Xi�fan. Compared to Woman Applying Makeup, this lady has a voluptuous physique, a well-rounded face, and appears to be somewhat older. Standing Female Painted pottery Tang dynasty, 745 Height 40.5 cm National Museum of Shaanxi History This lovely figurine was excavated from the tomb of the wife of the Lei District prefect in Hansenzhai, an eastern suburb of Xi�fan. She has plump cheeks and wears a loose-sleeved, light silk dress that drapes flowingly over her body with only the tips of her shoes showing from the hem. Such sensuous, full-figured forms became popular around the mid-8th century with the appearance of the classical beauty Yang Kueifei.

Musicians on Camelback Tri-color glazed pottery Tang dynasty Height 57.4 cm National Museum of Shaanxi History This dynamic, vibrant piece, excavated in Zhongbu Village in 1959, brings to mind the flourishing exchange of the Silk Road. Compared to a similar example, excavated from the tomb of Xianyu Tinghui, dated Kaiyuan 11 (723), in Xi�fan, the early 8th-century figures here appear lively and youthful.

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