Set Reminder2020-07-26 08:00:002020-07-26 08:00:00America/New_YorkBidsquareBidsquare : 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
Ca. 1368-1644 AD. Ming Dynasty. White horse in standing position with neck extended and head bowed. The tail is free-flowing. The horse is equipped with an elaborate blue harness and is and is flanked by a carefully modelled individual wearing dark blue robes and a white hat. 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. Provenance: Property of a London Gallery, previously with Mr. M.P. Dannish collector; acquired in the 1990s; Size: H:153mm / W:195mm ; 726g