''A Palace Concert'' () is a Chinese

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

silk painting Silk painting refers to paintings on silk. They are a traditional way of painting in Asia. Methods vary, but using traditional supplies of 100% silk fabric, stretched in a frame, and applying textile paints or dyes are the beginnings of an amazing ...

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court ladies A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

and two standing servant maidens around a large rectangular table. Some court ladies are depicted drinking tea, while others drink wine. The four women at the far end are presumably responsible for playing music and livening up the mood. The musical instruments depicted, from left to right, are bamboo pipes,

guqin The ''guqin'' (; ) is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favoured by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement, as highlighted b ...

pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rang ...

and bili. One of the servant maidens plays a clapper to maintain beat. A small dog is depicted under the table. The artist and the precise year of the painting are unknown. The painting is housed in the

National Palace Museum The National Palace Museum (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Kwet-li̍p kù-kiung pok-vu̍t-yèn), is a museum in Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan). It has a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts and artworks, many of which wer ...

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

, Taiwan.

Dating

The hairstyles are combed in one direction on top, while others are combed in two directions and tied into knots around the ears. In addition to a floral headdress, these all indicate some of the popular Tang dynasty fashions. The woven bamboo table, cusped crescent stools, winged wine cups and the style of the lute playing with a large pick showcase late Tang dynasty customs.

References

External links

Entry at the National Palace Museum website
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Dating

References

External links

See also