LARGE CHINESE HAN DYNASTY HORSE AND RIDER - TL TESTED

About Auction

Live

ART OF ASIA- FROM ANTIQUITY TO PRESENT DAY

By Apollo Art Auctions

Jul 26, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-07-26 08:00:00 2020-07-26 08:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : ART OF ASIA- FROM ANTIQUITY TO PRESENT DAY https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/apollo-art-auctions/art-of-asia--from-antiquity-to-present-day-5317
We are members of the BNTA (British Numismatic Trading Association) and the ALR (Art Loss Register). WE ACCEPT DIRECT PAYMENTS IN ALL MAJOR CURRENCIES: BIDDERS CAN PAY IN USD, GBP AND EUR. NO RESERVE SALE IN-HOUSE PACKING AND WORLDWIDE SHIPPING FOR ALL LOTS. Apollo Art Auctions enquiries@apolloauctions.com

View Full Catalog (311)

• Lot Description
  Ca. 202 BC-220 AD. Chinese Han Dynasty. Terracotta Horse with Rider. An elegant hollow-moulded terracotta horse. This brown horse is modelled in a standing pose with its neck elegantly arched, mouth agape and its ears pricked attentively, whilst the tail is shown docked and bound. Additional detail around the eyes has been painted on with black pigment. The rider is heavily stylised in an white painted terracotta and is shown with roughly modelled details, short arms and indistinctly modelled legs. The rider’s face and clothing are detailed in polychrome pigment. Horses were an important status symbol in ancient China. These animals were brought to China via the Silk Road and were considered a luxury good. As such horses were a sign of wealth among the elite, and there were strict laws which restricted the ownership of horses to people of elevated rank. In fact, soldiers serving in China’s military had to provide their own mounts indicating that only the richest members of society could serve in the cavalry. This exceptionally well-preserved terracotta is part of a long tradition of horse statuettes in China, and in fact, the earliest known example of a stirrup, today a mainstay of equestrianism, was found on another Chinese statue of a horse from Hunan province, dated to AD 302 (see Cartier, M. 1993. ‘Considérations sur l'histoire du harnachement et de l'équitation en Chine.’ Anthropozoologica, 18, 29-44). Excellent condition. Authenticated by Ralf Kotalla laboratory in Germany; report attached. Size: H:620mm / W:610mm ; 11kg, Provenance: From an old British collection formed in the 1990s;
• Shipping Info

  • We offer in-house packing and international shipping at discounted rates.

• Buyer's Premium
  • 29.00 %