CHINA, NORTHERN WEI DYNASTY POTTERY CAPARISONED HORSE - TL TESTED

Ca. 386-534 AD. Northen Wei Dynasty. Terracotta Horse. An elegant hollow-moulded terracotta horse. This creme coloured horse is modelled in a standing pose with its neck elegantly arched, its ears pricked forward attentively, mouth slightly agape, and the tail shown loose. The horse’s trappings, including the bridle and breastplate, caprison, and breeching are all modeled in high relief and picked out in reds and black pigment. The caprison is particularly fantastic as its tassels are textured and painted red, the majority of the cloth is painted black with creme coloured circular paterns, probably meant to imitate embroidery. Horses were an important status symbol in ancient China. These animals were brought to China via the Silk Road and were considered a luxury good. As such horses were a sign of wealth among the elite, and there were strict laws which restricted the ownership of horses to people of elevated rank. In fact, soldiers serving in China’s military had to provide their own mounts indicating that only the richest members of society could serve in the cavalry. This exceptionally well-preserved terracotta is part of a long tradition of horse statuettes in China, and in fact, the earliest known example of a stirrup, today a mainstay of equestrianism, was found on another Chinese statue of a horse from Hunan province, dated to AD 302 (see Cartier, M. 1993.‘Considérations sur l'histoire du harnachement et de l'équitation en Chine.’Anthropozoologica, 18, 29-44).  A comparable example was recently sold at Christie’s for £29,375 , see https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-painted-grey-pottery-figure-of-a-1791461-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=1791461 Excellent condition. This item comes fully authenticated with a TL test from Ralf Kotalla laboratory, Germany. Size: L:395mm / W:295mm ; 3.1kg. Provenance: Important London collection of Ancient art; formed in 1970s then passed by descent.