TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)

The sancai or ‘three-color’ glazed decoration seen on this horse was developed during the seventh century when Tang-dynasty potters were experimenting with the lively tones of green, amber and yellow. The horse is covered in a cream-tone glaze, with a rich, amber-tone glaze on the saddle blanket set against the green-glazed cloth with amber border. The glazes run down to the edge of the saddle blanket and cloth creating decorative stripes that drip to the belly of the figure. The strong neck is turned slightly to the left and the lack of fittings emphasizes the powerful proportions and musculature of the figure.
A similarly modeled large Tang-dynasty horse (74 cm. high), with head slightly turned and a cloth-covered saddle, decorated in complimentary glazes to the present horse, with an amber-tone body and green saddle blanket with a splash-glazed cloth, was sold at Christie’s New York, 19-20 September 2024, lot 1007.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C198m11 is consistent with the dating of this lot.