Page 304 - 2019 September 13th Christie's New York Important Chinese Works of Art

1075
A RARE LARGE SANCAI-GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE OF A HORSE
TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)
The horse is shown standing foursquare on a rectangular base, with the head turned slightly to the left, and
the ears pricked, the long segmented mane swept onto one side of the neck, the cream-glazed trappings
hung with large cream tassels pendent from foriform plaques, and the saddle draped with a green-glazed
saddle cloth that simulates fur. The body is covered in a rich brown glaze.
30æ in. (78.2 cm.) high
$30,000-50,000

PROVENANCE
Frank Caro, New York, 12 November 1958.
This magnifcent horse is exceptional for its large size, realistically-modelled mane, fnely-textured
saddle imitating fur, and very rare matte-brown coloring.
Tang pottery horses are most often shown with amber or straw-glazed bodies, and sometimes with
a combination of the two, but very rarely with a matte-brown glaze, such as the present fgure. The
mottled dark brown color of the glaze enhances the naturalism of the fgure, while the matte surface
provides an interesting contrast to the lustrous straw-glazed mane, hooves and tassels, and green-
glazed saddle.
Compare the horse covered in matte-brown glaze, with similar foliate trappings, but with a sancai-
glazed rather than green-glazed saddle, and another horse covered in brown glaze, but with an ochre-
colored saddle, both from the Tang tomb of Prince Jiemin-Li Chongjun in Fuping county, 1995, illustrated
in National Treasure – Collection of Rare Cultural Relics of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an, 1998, pp. 183-84. See
also, a horse covered in a black glaze, but without foliate trappings, in the Luoyang Museum, illustrated
in Da Sancai, Sancai from Luoyang Museum and the Liaoning Provincial Museum, 1989, p. 31, no. 11.
The horse depicted here is the revered ‘blood-sweating’ horse, which was introduced into China from
the west during the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). These Ferghana horses were known for their speed,
power and stamina, qualities which are brought out by the masterful hand of the artist. They were thought
to have descended from celestial horses, and were symbols of great status for those who owned them.
唐 三彩馬

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