This lovely, stylish lady dates to the Sui dynasty (581–618 aD) . She is 21 cm’s high, the body is a pinkish white clay, and very poreus.The glaze has flaked off,
but still shows the greenish / yellow straw glaze.

The earth smell immediately rubs off on your hands. The head has been re-attached, and the foot is chipped. The hole in the side is most likely from a probe, used to search for hollow spaces under the ground.

 The Sui dynasty was the beginning of an artistic and cultural renaissance that reached its height in the succeeding Tang dynasty.

 The Sui dynasty started a pattern of patronizing the arts that was later embraced by the Tang rulers.