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THBRare Chinese Tang Dynasty Bronze Stirrups (pr)
Lot 93
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$15,000 - $20,000
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| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
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| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Feb 13, 2020
Set Reminder
2020-02-13 10:00:00
2020-02-13 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-4848
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (411)
- Lot Description
East Asia, China, Tang Dynasty, ca. 618 to 906 CE. An exquisite set of two cast-bronze stirrups used for securing the feet of a horse rider when on the animal's back. Each stirrup has a rectangular foot base, three arching bars on either side with a horizontal bar bridging the midsection, a solid shoulder that sweeps up to form the thick neck, and a rectangular strap buckle with protruding corners. The openwork design of the stirrups suggests that these were meant as a funerary offering to be buried with the deceased as a symbol of his equestrian skill or military rank. Horsemanship was one of the cornerstones of the ancient Chinese military as well as non-military life given the variety of tasks they could perform. Layers of mottled green, russet, and brown patina have formed across each stirrup and imbue them with a finely preserved presentation. Size of each (both are relatively similar): 5.875" W x 6.5" H (14.9 cm x 16.5 cm)
A passion for horses ran throughout Chinese society. Used for military, commercial, and recreational purposes, the horse was important for the development and prosperity of the country as a whole, and was considered a mark of the elite. During the Han Dynasty, contacts with the peoples of Central Asia enabled the Chinese to discover new breeds of horse, specifically the fabled and highly sought-after Ferghana steeds from modern Uzbekistan, which were to be instrumental in the Emperor's defeat of the barbarians. These larger, more powerful horses established the Silk Road and were referred to by the Chinese as 'heavenly horses.'
The earliest Chinese stirrups seem to date from the fourth century CE, introduced in those regions where conflict between the nomads and the Chinese was prevalent - whilst skilled nomadic Steppes people did not use stirrups, they were useful accoutrements for the Chinese, who endeavored to match the proficiency of their opponents on horseback. Stirrups like these examples are from the Tang Dynasty, a period of unprecedented religious, artistic, and scholarly achievement in China. They conform to the standardized stirrup type at this time - oval in shape with a rectangular handle at the top for attaching the strap. Sturdy and practical, yet also of harmonious form and balance, the stirrups are worthy of the powerful steed they once adorned. For stylistically similar examples of stirrups depicted in six bas-reliefs commissioned by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, please see the Penn Museum, inventory number C396.
Provenance: private Connecticut, USA collection; ex-private New York, USA collection, acquired in the 1980s
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#152769Both items have minor abrasions to foot platforms, lateral arms, necks, and buckles, with light encrustations, and very slight bending to overall form of some lateral arms, otherwise intact and near choice. Nice earthen deposits and fantastic patina throughout.Condition
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