Artwork Page for Horse

Details / Information for Horse

Horse

late 600s–800

China, probably Henan province, Tang dynasty

(618–907)
Medium
glazed earthenware, sancai (three-color) ware
Measurements
Overall: 76.8 cm (30 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Anonymous Gift 1955.295
Public Domain
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Location
239 Chinese Ceramics and Metalwork
Print
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Did You Know?

Sancai (three-color) glazes in green, amber, and transparent white show the high social status of the tomb’s occupant.

Description

This ceramic horse was part of a set of figures depicting a procession, all of which was included in the tomb of a person of high rank. In ancient China tombs were equipped with all the items it was thought to be needed in the afterlife—including horses, as an essential mode of transportation.
An amber-glazed earthenware sculpture is shaped as a standing horse with cream-colored pigment on its mane, face, and legs. It turns its head to the left, standing on a rectangular base. A dark harness featuring green circular medallions wraps around its chest and haunches. A saddle with a draped cloth rests on its back, and its short tail curls upward. The glossy glaze highlights its muscular build and delicate hooves.

Horse

late 600s–800

China, probably Henan province, Tang dynasty (618–907)

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