Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair with Flowers

This artwork illustrates the leisure lifestyle of noble women of the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) as they view the flowers in the imperial courtyard, just as spring changes into summer, as indicated by their garments made of thin gauze and the blossoming of spring flowers. These beautiful ladies, sumptuously clothed, are absolutely at ease: plucking flowers, chasing butterflies, playing with a dog, watching cranes, strolling around or just sitting there idly, accompanied by dutiful maids with fan in hands.
These court ladies are dressed in the height of fashion, glossy chignons towering above their heads, topped by a spray of flowers. A layer of thin gauze draping over the low-cut gowns suggest their curvaceous figures beneath the semi-transparent textile. This is the typical image for noblewomen in the Mid-Tang dynasty. The ladies, though look quite alike at first glance, are different from each other either in terms of garments, gestures, or expressions.
These figures are depicted via flowing curvy lines that not only vividly outline the attire of the ladies but also create details in the ornamental motifs on garments. The use of lines is even more skillful in the expression of the flowing and drapable texture of the light, soft and partly see-through silk gauze, as well as the precise portrayal of clearly-defined traces of hair at temples and the chignons. To accentuate the luxurious dressing of the ladies, an intricate, flashy but tasteful palette is in application, so clearly-layered that the relative positions of gowns, gauze capes and shawls are self-evident.
The artisan attached greater importance to the illustration of the smooth skin and expression of the ladies. Having set a foundation on the face area with silk flosses as thin as 1/16 of regular threads, the crafter then applied 1/32 silk flosses to portray the eyes, brows and expressions, coupled with gradual coloring during this process, until the smooth and lustrous chubby faces of the ladies were perfectly presented. Thanks to the ingenious handle of lines as well as the relations of light and shadow in the Su Embroidery, the graceful bearing of the court ladies in sumptuous dressing and adornments stands out from the image.