AN AMBER-GLAZED POTTERY HORSE WITH WHITE-GLAZED BRAIDED MANE AND TAIL China, Tang Dynasty Style, but dating to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). Standing foursquare on the rectangular base, the head lowered and turned slightly to the side, mouth agape, with flaring nostrils and bulging eyes, the forelock parted in the center, the braided mane swept to one side, the tail docked and bound, the muscular body covered in an amber glaze, the forelock, mane, tail, and hooves picked out in a white slip glaze.

Provenance: Old French private collection.
Condition: Overall fine condition with wear and firing flaws, minor losses and chipping. The glaze with inherent crackling. The tail with an old repair.

Weight: 6.2 kg
Dimensions: Length 48 cm, Height 47 cm

Expert’s note: Following the Hijra in AD 622, the Arabian horse spread across the known world of the time, and became recognized as a distinct, named breed. The Arabian horse is often found expressing Rabicano patterns, sometimes leading to a white tail as seen in the present depiction. This type of horse must have been extremely expensive in China during the Tang dynasty. It is therefore highly likely that whoever owned one was of very high status and had a model of their personal horse placed in their tomb as a grave good after their death.