These are female grave figurines of the
Tang dynasty (618–907). They probably
show how women of the time at the
Imperial court either looked or wanted
to look.
Evidence of weaving in China goes back to the Agra-
rian Stone Age. Silk, for example, was already being
used in about 2500 BC. There are early specimens of
advanced dyeing and weaving. Textile materials have
an infinite number of uses, and one wonders what the
world would have looked like without textile fabrics.
We can see how, during the Tang period, physical
ideals shifted from a slender to a plumper appea-
rance. Clothing and hairstyling also changed. At the
beginning of the Tang, close-fitting garments, inspi-
red by Central Asian costume, are modern, but later
they are superseded by wider kimono-type garments.