High dignitary. China, Tang Dynasty, AD 618-907. Glazed ceramic. Size: 44.5 x 13 x 9 cm. Figure of a dignitary made in ceramic in a rounded form. It is a funerary-type sculpture, belonging to a rich trousseau. One of its outstanding features is the realistic execution of the figure, especially in the area of the face. Historians consider the Tang dynasty to be a period of splendour in Chinese civilisation, equal or even superior to the Han period. Emerging after a period of despotism under the cruel Yang Di, it was established by Li Shimin who, out of filial piety, put his father on the throne before assuming the role of emperor himself and founding the Tang dynasty. Stimulated by contact with India and the Middle East via the Silk Road, the Tang empire experienced a creative boom in many fields. Buddhism, which had emerged in India at the time of Confucius, continued to flourish during this period and was adopted by the imperial family, becoming an essential part of traditional Chinese culture. The development of the printing press also extended the dissemination of written works, giving rise to the golden age of Chinese art and literature.