Nice Example of a Tang Dynasty Pottery Figure of a Prancing Horse

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Nice Example of a Tang Dynasty Pottery Figure of a Prancing Horse

About the Item

Earthenware with painted decoration Condition: Generally good, considerable white and red pigments remain, some black and green, also some earthen deposits. Light paint chipping, right ear reattached, legs all reattached. Provenance : French Private Collection, Paris, acquired in the early 1980s. TLTest: QED Laboratoire, reference QED1818/FC-0101 The dancing horse is portrayed in movement, standing on three long legs, just before going forward , all mucles tense and alert. The suspended moment represents for the chineses the acme of this dancing art, the most interesting and aesthetic one : the right foreleg is raised, slightly turned to the right, when the head is turned to the left, mouth open and ears high and alert. The body is strong and muscular, the arched neck highlights the movement of his head, bent slightly forward. It is a very dynamic sculpture, with plenty attention to the details. Real horse hair was inserted into the open ridge running the length of the neck, to simulate the mane, and into the tail. The horse is decorated with a modelled and painted red saddle. The body is white slipped, with vast amounts still remaining. Additional pigments, such as red, green and black, have been used to pick out details, such as the alert pupils, the blanket, the nostrils and the hoofs. The largest of prancing horses made during the Tang Dynasty comes from the Fongxian area of Shangxi Province in North Central China. These horses display, like ours, a strong neck, aquiline head with fine nose and beautifully defined and rounded bodies. Notice that this example is very large in comparaison with the ones displayed in museums. He is not standing on a plinth and reaches the 60cm high, when the highest, with plinths are 54 to 56 cm high. During the reign of Xuanzong (712-756), a special troupe of 100 horses was trained to perform and dance for the pleasure of the Emperor in order to wish him a Long Life. The imperial birthday celebration, named "Thousand-Autumn Holiday"(qian qiu jie), included military presentations, dances, music, exotic animals viewing, but the highlight was the performance of 100 trained dancing horses. According to Zhang Yuo - a scholar and leading court official -, the performance, accompanied with music and lyrics was "heavenly": "the horses turned and twirled round as if in flight" "Curvetting in company, their conformation evoques transfigured dragons and fishes; In promenade prancing, their vigor concentrates a whole column of birds and beasts.(...) Light and lightly, they come as companions, soaring on felicitous clouds" While Xuanzong's dancing horses are the most famous, they were not the first. During the Tang dynasty, his uncle Zhongzong, who reigned shortly (705-710) had a similar team of dancing horses, and this tradition is noted since 458. These dancing horses were related to "heavenly horses" or "Dragon horses", due to the belief in the powers of the dragon horse to bestow immortality upon its rider. It is said that chineses made the discovery of such a magical horse during the reign of Xuanzong. The "Thousand-Autumn Holiday"of Xuanzong, like a national Holiday, initiated a tradition that lasted for two centuries. This dancing horse is representing one of these so famous trained dressage horses taught to dance for Xuanzong Emperor, whishing him long life. As sign of status and wealth, this horse was probably originally interred in a Tang dynasty high ranking burial and was believed to bestow immortality on the occupant, as he is believed to bestow long life to his owner. In 1972, similarly postured horses were excavated from the tomb of of Zhang Shigui (d. 657), comparable examples can also be found in Collections of the Musée Guimet Paris, Gift of J. Polain, ( MA 6112 and MA 6113), in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (No: 67.62.2).

Dimensions:
Height: 23.63 in (60 cm)Width: 7.88 in (20 cm)Depth: 16.93 in (43 cm)
Style:
Tang (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Ceramic
Place of Origin:
Asia
Period:
15th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
618-907
Condition:
Seller Location:
Paris, FR
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU3661111786611