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Lot Essay
Horse armor was introduced from Persia during the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280) and came into widespread use during the Six Dynasties (AD 220-589). Made of small iron plates stitched onto a leather backing, it was heavy and cumbersome in practice, and as a result its use declined during the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907).
A related pair of Northern Dynasties (AD 381-581) painted pottery equestrian figures with very similar armor on the horses and riders is illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art, Chinese Ceramics 1, Neolithic to Liao, Hong Kong, 1993, pI. 72. See, also, armored equestrians in a procession in a section of a Western Wei (535-557 AD) mural painting from cave 285k at Dunhuang, Gansu Province, illustrated in The Quest for Eternity, Chinese Ceramics Sculptures from the People's Republic of China, Los Angeles, 1988, p. 121, fig. 16.
The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C199y48 is consistent with the dating of this lot.
A related pair of Northern Dynasties (AD 381-581) painted pottery equestrian figures with very similar armor on the horses and riders is illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art, Chinese Ceramics 1, Neolithic to Liao, Hong Kong, 1993, pI. 72. See, also, armored equestrians in a procession in a section of a Western Wei (535-557 AD) mural painting from cave 285k at Dunhuang, Gansu Province, illustrated in The Quest for Eternity, Chinese Ceramics Sculptures from the People's Republic of China, Los Angeles, 1988, p. 121, fig. 16.
The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C199y48 is consistent with the dating of this lot.