8.2 At Table with the Empress

Elite women of the court likewise gathered to eat, drink, and talk, as illustrated in Source 8.2, an anonymous Tang dynasty painting on silk. Hosting the event is the empress, shown seated upright in the middle of the left side of the table, holding a fan and wearing a distinctive headdress. Her guests and paid professional musicians sit around the table.

image
Source 8.2 At Table with the Empress National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan/Werner Forman/Art Resource, NY