A PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A CAPARISONED HORSE

WESTERN HAN DYNASTY

Details

A PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A CAPARISONED HORSE
Western Han Dynasty
Standing foursquare with large head facing forward, the forelock swept up between the pricked ears, the stocky body painted dark red and draped with a blanket painted with abstract bird designs in pale blue, red, white and black pigments, the harness and facial details painted in red and black
24in. (61.7cm.) long

Lot Essay

Horses of this more unusual stocky type, with short legs, large head and rounded muzzle, as well as unusual abstract blanket decoration are believed to be from Shandong as opposed to the Xi'an and Luoyang areas from which previously published horses have come. The abstract decoration on the blanket is related to that found on an inlaid bronze hu of Warring States date, excavated at Baoji, Shaanxi and illustrated in Historical Relics Unearthed in New China, Beijing, 1972, pl. 73.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C198b80 is consistent with the dating of this lot