Reverse Pipa Lady – Dunhuang Bronze Sculpture

Product Overview

Reverse Pipa Lady – Dunhuang Bronze Sculpture is a hollow-cast bronze figure sculpture with a warm red-brown patina. The subject — a dancing lady playing the pipa behind her back in the Dunhuang manner — is drawn with clean sculptural planes rather than surface fuss, so the piece reads clearly from across the room and keeps rewarding detail up close. At 540 × 560 × 1300 mm, it is designed for lobby floors and large entrance surfaces.

The cloud base is the series signature: curling, scalloped forms that lift the performer off the surface and make the sculpture feel weightless despite its bronze mass. It also gives the piece a stable footprint for cabinets and plinths.

The patina is built up in layers and sealed, which means tone varies slightly from piece to piece — the mark of genuine hand finishing rather than a sprayed imitation. On a lobby floor or large entrance surface, it holds its own without competing with the furniture around it, and it needs no more care than an occasional soft-cloth dusting.

Design Inspiration: The Dunhuang Performer

The warm red-brown tone of this series recalls terracotta and ancient gilded statues at once — a color both Western and Chinese audiences instinctively read as heritage. Its gesture comes from the performing figures of the Silk Road: dancers and musicians caught mid-phrase, robes flying, standing on clouds. In a Western interior the sculpture works like a piece of living archaeology; in an Eastern one it speaks of Dunhuang’s thousand-year stagecraft without quoting it literally.

Craftsmanship: Lost-Wax Casting and Hand Patina

Every sculpture is hollow-cast in bronze by the traditional lost-wax method: a wax model is taken from the original master, encased in a ceramic shell, burnt out and replaced with molten bronze. The raw casting is cleaned, welded and refined entirely by hand before the patina is applied layer by layer and sealed. Because the patina is finished by hand, each piece varies slightly in tone and depth — a mark of genuine cast bronze rather than a sprayed imitation.

Outstretched arms and flying robes are the casting challenge here: wall thickness is verified along the extended bronze, and each fingertip and ribbon edge is dressed by hand after fettling.

Specifications

Model No.	XLA1-25
Dimensions	540 × 560 × 1300 mm (W × D × H)
Weight	17 kg
Material	Bronze
Technique	Lost-wax casting
Finish	Hand-applied red-brown patina, sealed
Placement	Indoor
Customization	Size, patina color, logo engraving on request

Applications

With its size and weight, the sculpture is designed for floor placement and large surfaces. Typical placements include:

• Hotel lobby plinths and entrance features
• Cultural venues and exhibition halls
• Banquet halls and restaurant entrances
• Sales center atrium displays
• Gallery presentations of Dunhuang themes

Customization Options

Customization is handled in our own workshop. Common requests include rescaling the model up or down, changing the patina tone (for example from green to antique gold), adding a different base finish, and engraving a logo for hotel or gift orders. Lead time depends on size; we confirm it together with the quotation.

Packaging & Delivery

Because of its size, this sculpture is packed in a foam-lined wooden crate for export shipping, with the casting braced at its contact points. Freight is quoted by sea or express air depending on urgency and destination port. Packaging photos and lead times are provided with the quotation.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does the cloud base symbolize?

In Chinese art, clouds mark the boundary between the earthly and the heavenly — performers standing on clouds are celestial musicians. It also lifts the figure visually, which makes the sculpture read lighter on a cabinet or plinth.

2. Is the red-brown tone the same on every piece?

The tone is a hand-applied patina, so it varies slightly from piece to piece — warmer or deeper in places. This variation is the mark of genuine hand finishing and is covered by our quality standard for display-grade bronzes.

3. Is each sculpture exactly the same?

The casting comes from the same mold, so the form is consistent. The patina, however, is applied by hand, which means slight variations in tone between individual pieces — a normal characteristic of genuine cast bronze.

4. What is the MOQ?

We work with both single-piece orders and bulk project orders. Contact us with your quantity and destination port for an accurate quotation and lead time.

5. How is the sculpture packed for shipping?

Each piece is wrapped in protective foam and packed in a reinforced export carton; larger pieces travel in a foam-lined wooden crate. Wooden crates are standard for project shipments.

Request a Quote

Request a quote for XLA1-25 — tell us your quantity, destination and customization requirements, and our team will reply with pricing and lead time within 24 hours. Contact TYART Bronze or browse more works in our bronze figure sculpture collection.