A 'Sancai'-Glazed Pottery Figure of a Horse Tang Dynasty

the chestnut-glazed horse standing foursquare upon an unglazed base, its powerful arched neck with an alert head turned to the left, with an open mouth and erect ears, the buckled harness and trappings glazed a cream color with amber edging, accented with green molded ornaments, the hogged mane and docked tail with cream-colored glaze, the unglazed saddle draped with a pleated saddlecloth exhibiting extensive traces of red pigment



 

Collection of Captain S.N. Ferris Luboshez, USN (Ret'd) (until 1982).
Sotheby's New York, 18th November 1982, lot 61.

Chinese Art from the Ferris Luboshez Collection, University of Maryland Art Gallery, Maryland, 1972, cat. no. 92, fig. 33.

This horse was inspected under UV light and areas of fluorescence reveal the following: the front legs with restored breaks at the tops of each leg and ankle; the hind legs with restored breaks at the top of the left leg and ankle, as well as the right leg from the top of the leg to the trappings. The tail has been restuck. Near the hole on the underside is a 1 inch wide patch to the glaze, and there is another small patch to the left hind leg. Inpainting to the old repairs. The tips of the ears have been retouched. The color is more orange than the catalogue image suggests.
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 impressive for its naturalistic modeling of a horse that is captured with its mouth open as if in the midst of neighing. Related glazed horses with elaborate trappings, which are characteristic of the Sassanian influence on Chinese art in the 8th century, can be found in important collections and museums; for example see a figure included in the Exhibition of Chinese Pottery Burial Objects of the Sui and T'ang Dynasties, Hugh M. Moss Ltd., London, 1970, cat. no. 53, and dated to the late 7th or early 8th century, sold in our London rooms, 11th December 1979, lot 137. Compare another brown-glazed figure of a standing horse illustrated in the Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 378; and one of very similar size, with similar trappings and unglazed saddle, sold in these rooms,  9th December 1987, lot 222.

A brown-glazed horse with a green saddle, of related model and with similar trappings, excavated from the tomb of Crown Prince Yide (682-701), son of Emperor Zhongzong and grandson of Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian, in Qian county, Shaanxi province and now in the Shaanxi History Museum, is published in National Treasure Collection of Rare Cultural Relics of Shaanxi Province: Tang Sancai, Xi'an, 1998, p. 181.

It is interesting to note that a Tang gilt-bronze plaque of related form and pattern as these harness mounts, excavated from a tomb in Xinzhu near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, from the Shaanxi History Museum, was included in the exhibition Imperial China. The Art of the Horse in Chinese History, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, 2000, cat. no. 145 (4), together with various other chariot and horse decorations. See also a gilt-bronze harness pendant, unearthed from the tomb of Princess Yongtai, who was buried in A.D. 706 in Lingshan, Qianxian, Shaanxi province, illustrated in Yutaka Mino and James Robinson, Beauty and Tranquility: The Eli Lilly Collection of Chinese Art, Indianapolis, 1983, p. 174, fig. E.