A Rare Chinese Painted and Lime Green Glazed Pottery Equestrian FigureTang DynastyThe horse standing foursquare on a rectangular base, the rider with both hands raised to hold its reigns, wearing a full-length lime green glazed coat, the wrists with a red painted band the same color as his split collar, his face with red lips and his head fully covered with a black hat and top nob, the hat down to his shoulders. His horse and saddle are covered in the same lime green glaze, but both are ornately decorated in black and red paint, the horse's main and top of his head covered in a blanket with red stripes and his bridle along with decorative leather straps around his neck and shoulders are painted black. The saddle has designs including a molded leather decoration behind his seat that are painted black with the lime green pooling deeper green in the crevices. Behind his saddle is a blanket which has a rare, intricate floral design with red and blue glaze highlights that runs down to the horse's tail, streaks of deeper green glaze splashed on his rump, legs, belly and face, a pool of deep green at his mouth and rider's boots, green streaks down his four legs that end in terracotta glazed hooves. The horse's head stares straight, his eyes highlighted in black paint, his nostrils slightly flaring, the hooves with red pigment remnants. Height 11 1/2 inches. Note:Tang Dynasty lime green glazed horses and riders are extremely rare. Compare the equestrian offered here with one whose horse is a "green-hued straw glaze" but with only a few green-glazed splashes and with a black painted saddle, its rider dressed in an amber glazed coat with some green splashes, see Christies Paris 8 October 2020, lot 75 (Realized price EUR 81,20). where the equestrian is referred to as "a rare painted and sancai glazed pottery equestrian".C Property from the Collection of Steven J. Harvis