A painted pottery figure of a prancing horse Tang dynasty

the energetically modeled and richly caparisoned horse with a raised right foreleg in a prancing posture, its head inclined to the left, the mouth open and teeth bared, the proud and erect neck with a long thick mane featuring incised comb markings, the draped saddle hanging in flared pleats over the saddle blanket with faint traces of black floral decoration, traces of black and red pigment throughout

Sotheby's New York, 8th September 1980, lot 87.
Thereafter with the present owners.

Inspected under UV light, which showed fluorescence in several areas. The base of the neck appears to have been restored. The left rump has an arch-shaped area of restoration, with some of the inpainting now flaking off. The other three legs with minor fluorescence at the areas where they meet the body, showing possible restoration, particularly the prancing leg. Small areas of flaking on the inpainting at a restored break on the proper front left leg. The drapery hanging from the saddlecloth also appears to have been restored on both sides. One of the bosses on the collar of the harness is chipped and missing, and a small section on the proper left side of the collar appears to have been restored. Flaking of the surface on the rump, behind the saddle. The base has at least five restored broken sections, with the main break straight down the rectangular section from front to back. The other is a diagonal break from the front left hoof to the rear right hoof, and an attendant triangular section broken at the proper left side of the base. Remnants of red and black pigment visible.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present figure is unusually naturalistic and detailed in its modeling, depicted in a lively posture with its head attentively carved and mouth wide open as if in the midst of neighing. The harness is rendered with great detail and the richness of the trappings is worth noting. Horses depicted prancing are rare, although a prancing horse from the Shanxi History Museum is illustrated in World of the Heavenly Khan, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2002, p. 129 left. Another related figure of a prancing horse is included in Ezekiel Schloss, Ancient Chinese Ceramic Sculpture from Han through Tang, vol. II, Conn., 1977, pl. 96, where the author states that 'it is likely that these exquisitely caparisoned horses were dancing horses that performed on festive occasions in the big cities of China'.

Compare also a pottery horse of this type with overhanging mane and long flowing saddlecloth included in the exhibition The Mount Trust Collection of Chinese Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1970, cat. no. 25; and another example published in Andre Leth, Selected Objects of Chinese Art in the Museum of Decorative Art Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 1959, pl. 55; and a pottery figure of a horse, from the Schiller collection and now in the City of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, illustrated in R.L. Hobson and A.L. Hetherington, The Art of the Chinese Potter, London, 1923, pl. XIV. A pair of pottery prancing horses was sold in these rooms, 27th March 2003, lot 32; a single figure was sold in our London rooms, 10th June 1986, lot 30; and one in our Los Angeles rooms, 4th March 1982, lot 1307.