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Lot Essay
A masterpiece of potting and glazing, this large and impressive horse displays the technical virtuosity that was possible but only rarely attained by Tang-dynasty artisans. Every decoration that was attempted, from the striped mane to the intricately incised and glazed saddle, and the crisply defined ornaments, was flawlessly executed and achieved.
The most magnificent breed of horse, immortalized in Chinese literature and the visual arts, was the Ferghana horse, introduced into central China from the West during the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). These were the fabled 'celestial' or 'blood-sweating' horses, known for their speed, power, and stamina. The renowned court artist Han Gan (AD 720-60) changed the nature of Chinese horse painting when he depicted one of Emperor Xuanzong's (r. AD 847-59) favorite horses, Night-Shining White (now in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art), in a realistic rather than supernatural manner. This development parallels the realism of Tang arts in general, and is exemplified by this magnificent horse.
Only a small number of glazed horses, generally of a very high quality, possess bi-colored manes, because of the difficulty of controlling the lead glazes. See, for example, the large cream-glazed horse with bi-color mane from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. F. Brodie Lodge sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2002, lot 103. However, even fewer examples display tri-colored manes, such as that seen on the present figure. A slightly smaller horse (56.6 cm. high) with less-precisely controlled tri-color mane, with related fittings to the present horse but with ‘fur’ saddle cloth, is illustrated in City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries, Gateway to the Silk Road. Relics from the Han to the Tang Dynasties from Xi’an, China, Edinburgh, 1986, pp. 58-59, no. 89.
The unusual pattern on the saddlecloth is another indication that this horse was created by a master craftsman for a client of the highest status. Large horses of this quality, with similar fittings, often display saddles with saddle cloths imitating fur. (See, for example, the large brown-glazed example sold at Sotheby’s New York, 17 September 2013, lot 45, one of a pair) The expertly executed arabesque designs on the present saddle cloth are extremely rare and were likely inspired by contemporary textiles. The control of the three colors within the incised designs further exhibits the skill of the artisan in preventing the glazes to run, and appears to be unique. A cream-glazed horse of similar size (60 cm. high) illustrated in the Eskenazi exhibition catalogue, Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessels, Gilt Bronzes and Early Ceramics, London, 1973, pp. 90-91, no. 56, exhibits a tri-color glazed saddle cloth with chevron pattern, but without any incised boundaries or intentional imitation of a textile pattern.
The complex, jewel-like decorations applied to the harness of this horse are mirrored in other Chinese decorative arts of the period, especially fine gold and silver ornaments and motifs, and show the influence of Sassanian art on that of 8th-century China. The ornaments reflect the trappings used on actual horses by the Tang aristocracy. While the front chest straps were utilitarian and generally more simply ornamented, the non-functional straps set behind the saddle and around the rump would be set with gilt-metal plaques, sometimes inset with jade or other luxurious hardstones, and reflected the status of the rider. For various examples of Tang-dynasty horse harness trappings in gold and with precious insets see R. Jacobsen, Celestial Horses and Long Sleeve Dancers, The David W. Dewey Collection of Ancient Chinese Tomb Sculpture, Minneapolis, 2013, p. 231. On the present horse, the crisply molded, tri-color ornaments on the bridle and those carefully fitted on the rear harness imitate the shimmering golden trappings used on the finest horses of the Tang elite. A large (76.8 cm. high) sancai horse with elaborate trappings, although not as intricate or precise as those on the present example, was sold at Christie’s New York, 13 September 2019, lot 840.
The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C199y96 is consistent with the dating of this lot.
The most magnificent breed of horse, immortalized in Chinese literature and the visual arts, was the Ferghana horse, introduced into central China from the West during the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). These were the fabled 'celestial' or 'blood-sweating' horses, known for their speed, power, and stamina. The renowned court artist Han Gan (AD 720-60) changed the nature of Chinese horse painting when he depicted one of Emperor Xuanzong's (r. AD 847-59) favorite horses, Night-Shining White (now in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art), in a realistic rather than supernatural manner. This development parallels the realism of Tang arts in general, and is exemplified by this magnificent horse.
Only a small number of glazed horses, generally of a very high quality, possess bi-colored manes, because of the difficulty of controlling the lead glazes. See, for example, the large cream-glazed horse with bi-color mane from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. F. Brodie Lodge sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2002, lot 103. However, even fewer examples display tri-colored manes, such as that seen on the present figure. A slightly smaller horse (56.6 cm. high) with less-precisely controlled tri-color mane, with related fittings to the present horse but with ‘fur’ saddle cloth, is illustrated in City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries, Gateway to the Silk Road. Relics from the Han to the Tang Dynasties from Xi’an, China, Edinburgh, 1986, pp. 58-59, no. 89.
The unusual pattern on the saddlecloth is another indication that this horse was created by a master craftsman for a client of the highest status. Large horses of this quality, with similar fittings, often display saddles with saddle cloths imitating fur. (See, for example, the large brown-glazed example sold at Sotheby’s New York, 17 September 2013, lot 45, one of a pair) The expertly executed arabesque designs on the present saddle cloth are extremely rare and were likely inspired by contemporary textiles. The control of the three colors within the incised designs further exhibits the skill of the artisan in preventing the glazes to run, and appears to be unique. A cream-glazed horse of similar size (60 cm. high) illustrated in the Eskenazi exhibition catalogue, Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessels, Gilt Bronzes and Early Ceramics, London, 1973, pp. 90-91, no. 56, exhibits a tri-color glazed saddle cloth with chevron pattern, but without any incised boundaries or intentional imitation of a textile pattern.
The complex, jewel-like decorations applied to the harness of this horse are mirrored in other Chinese decorative arts of the period, especially fine gold and silver ornaments and motifs, and show the influence of Sassanian art on that of 8th-century China. The ornaments reflect the trappings used on actual horses by the Tang aristocracy. While the front chest straps were utilitarian and generally more simply ornamented, the non-functional straps set behind the saddle and around the rump would be set with gilt-metal plaques, sometimes inset with jade or other luxurious hardstones, and reflected the status of the rider. For various examples of Tang-dynasty horse harness trappings in gold and with precious insets see R. Jacobsen, Celestial Horses and Long Sleeve Dancers, The David W. Dewey Collection of Ancient Chinese Tomb Sculpture, Minneapolis, 2013, p. 231. On the present horse, the crisply molded, tri-color ornaments on the bridle and those carefully fitted on the rear harness imitate the shimmering golden trappings used on the finest horses of the Tang elite. A large (76.8 cm. high) sancai horse with elaborate trappings, although not as intricate or precise as those on the present example, was sold at Christie’s New York, 13 September 2019, lot 840.
The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C199y96 is consistent with the dating of this lot.