Female Musician, Tang dynasty (A.D. 618–907), late 7th/early 8th century. Earthenware with polychrome pigments, 20.9 × 13.3 × 13.5 cm. Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Arthur M. Wood, 1975.642.

Young female musicians who hailed from oasis cities on the Silk Road in Central Asia captivated the Tang court by playing a combination of Chinese and foreign instru-ments. This ensemble features girls playing the cymbals, a vertical flute or oboe, pan-pipes, and an upright angular harp. Two musicians in the back row hold vessel-like instruments that have not been identified.