MING DYNASTY TERRACOTTA HORSE AND RIDER FIGURE

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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
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• Lot Description
  Ca. 1368-1644 AD. Ming Dynasty. White horse in standing position with neck and head extended slightly forward and mouth agape. The tail is free-flowing and painted grey. The horse is equipped with an elaborate blue harness and is mounted by a carefully modelled individual wearing robes, which preserve traces of blue paint, and a cream-coloured 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. Size: H:265mm / W:235mm ; 1300g. Provenance: Property of a London Gallery, previously with Mr. M.P. Dannish collector; acquired in the 1990s
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