CHINA, Tang Dynasty, late 7th/early 8th century - Lot 155

CHINA, Tang Dynasty, late 7th/early 8th century Large terracotta horse with "sancai" lead glaze (tricolor : green, brown and cream), standing with all four legs on a thin square base, head turned slightly to the right with mouth open, appearing to neigh, and caparisoned with a fur blanket (with quilted reverse) placed on the saddle, as well as tassels and pompoms hanging from its harness (body and head), its amber-brown enameled coat with drips along the legs, its brush-cut mane and knotted cream-colored tail, multicolored harness and partly striped blanket. H. 49.5 cm- L. 48 cm (approx.) LdM Shock and missing with repaint on part of the breeching (rump harness) and rump, repaint on the entire rump (from saddle to tail and under tail). Accident and restoration to the bottom of the four legs, with cracks and repainting. Repainted in front of the saddle, and slightly on the neck. Some chips and missing glaze (lips, dewclaw). Provenance: acquired from Sotheby's and given as a gift by a client to an Italian family in the late 1960s/early 1970s (oral information, with a document from Sotheby's representative office in Rome). This horse is a fine example of the skills of Chinese sculptors and ceramists of the Tang dynasty. It also illustrates the passion the Chinese had for the so-called "celestial horses", which had been imported from Central Asia (the Ferghana Valley) since the Han dynasty. Their almost legendary beauty, strength and speed made them highly prized mounts for the nobility and high-ranking individuals. The emperor had stables full of them and had his favorite horses painted, as shown by Han Gan's famous painting at the Metropolitan Museum of New York, a "portrait" of Zhaoyebai ("White Illuminating the Night"), one of the stallions of emperor Xuanzong (712-756). Horses were a mark of wealth and rank during their owner's lifetime, so representations of these animals were usually found in their tombs, where the deceased's living environment and possessions were recreated. The charm of some of the finest examples from the Tang dynasty lies not only in the beauty of form, but also in the famous brightly-colored sancai glaze, with its characteristic drips. An example in the British Museum, of similar size and color (only the harness differs slightly), comes from the Seligman Collection, 1973,0726.198.