MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)

The horse has a long history as a symbol of power, energy and prestige in China. Jade carvings of horses are thought to originate in the Tang dynasty, reflecting the powerful stone sculptures of horses found on Spirit Roads and the pottery horses found in tombs.

A grey jade recumbent horse, dated late Ming or early Qing dynasty, shown with its head turned to the left but with the proper right foreleg bent up at the knee, is illustrated by J. Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 376, no. 26:19. Another related but smaller (8.3 cm. long) jade horse is illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji – Sui Tang Ming, Hebei, 1994, vol. 5, p. 169, no. 244.

A related bluish-grey jade carving of two horses, from the collection of Mr. H. Marx, dated to the Ming dynasty, and carved in a charming style with the heads turned towards each other, is illustrated in The Oriental Ceramic Society catalogue, Exhibition of Chinese Jades, London, 1948, pl. VII, no. 123.