Ancient Chinese mingqi figure made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It's a big and rare burial offering made of beige terracotta with signs of polychromy. It depicts a court lady dancer in an expressive pose situated on an intricately made base. Lady wears a traditional long robe with sleeves covering hands and a unique type of haircut known as "Jing Hu Ji" modeled in the form of a bird's wings rising into flight. Her slender silhouette, gracefully leaning backward, with her head tilted upward and hair styled in a high bun, conveys a sense of movement. It's an important spirit figure known as a mingqi which can be translated as “for the next world”. Ancient Chinese believed that the afterlife was an extension of our earthly existence. Like shabti figures in ancient Egyptian culture, mingqi figures had to fulfill a role of a servant for a high status deceased person during eternal life. Dimensions: 113 mm (W) x 108 mm (D) x 316 mm (H) ARTIFACT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY: * Certificate of Authenticity document with all    information about the artifact and its photos.   Document is providing the owner of this object   its lifetime authenticity warranty. PROVENANCE INFORMATION: Artifact was purchased by our company in 2023 from a very prestigious French auction house. - Private J.L. collection Marseille, France   (collected in the late 60's) - Prestigious A.R.P. auction house   collection Paris, France Catawiki disclaimer: This piece has been dated based on style and patina. No further tests, such as, a TL test, an analysis of pigments or radiography scans have been conducted to check the integrity of the piece.