Lot 1497
1497
A RARE GILT-BRONZE 'APRICOT LEAF'-FORM HORSE TRAPPING, XINGYE
ANOTHER PROPERTY
A RARE GILT-BRONZE 'APRICOT LEAF'-FORM HORSE TRAPPING, XINGYE

TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)

Details
A RARE GILT-BRONZE 'APRICOT LEAF'-FORM HORSE TRAPPING, XINGYE
TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)
The trapping is cast in high relief with a mounted huntsman aiming his bow at two antelope on a ground of ring matting centered by a rock formation within a raised border of folded leaves, with a loop at the top.
3½ in. (8.8 cm.)
Provenance
Christie's New York, 10 December 1987, lot 29.

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Lot Essay

Gilt-bronze ornaments of this 'apricot' leaf type, xingye, were based on foreign, probably Sassanian, prototypes, and became popular as decoration for horse trappings during the Tang dynasty. A discussion of xingye is included in the article by Sun Ji, "The Equestrian Gear and Ornament of the Tang Dynasty", Wenwu, 1981:10, pp. 82-88 and 96, translated in Chinese Archaeological Abstracts, vol. 4, Post Han, Los Angeles, 1985, pp. 1782-87, where, in fig. 7, eight different types of 'apricot' leaves are shown in line drawings.

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