Important wooden head of a young noblewoman, China, Yuan - M - Lot 236

Important wooden head of a young noblewoman, China, Yuan - Ming period, 14th - 15th century She wears an elaborate hairstyle held in front and behind by an accessory tightening the bun. The finely sculpted eyes are inlaid with a black stone representing the iris. The mouth is narrow and the thin lips are enhanced by red polychrome. The ears have large pierced lobes, which may originally have been adorned with earrings. The finely carved wood is covered with gauze to which gesso has been applied, most likely to solidify the multi-part sculpture. Height: 46 cm; h. with base: 57 cm Missing parts, traces of polychromy. Provenance: Acquired from Oscar Meyer in Los Angeles between 1950 and 1971 (copy of a photograph).