Dancing Horse

A pale buff pottery horse standing on three legs, with its right fore-leg raised. Naturalistically modelled, it has a powerful arched neck with its head turned slightly to the left. The saddle, covered with gathered and tied material, sits on a saddlecloth decorated with a geometrical pattern. The hollow body was moulded in parts, and assembled before firing at a low temperature. Afterwards it was cold-painted with pigments, with some of the original bright orange, black and green colours still visible. Typical of the highTang sculptures, this horse shows great expression and movement, which gives it its animated appearance. Its posture suggests this horse may represent one of the famous Tang dancing horses.

During the Tang Dynasty, horses were essential for travel, transportation and military use. With the flourishing of the Silk Road, better breeds entered China from neighbouring regionssuch as Samarkand - and national breeding programmes were set up. Starting with only around 5,000 government owned horses, numbers reached a staggering 700,000 within 40 years! The Tang rulers certainly recognized that the possession of outstanding horses, was key to their maintenance of power and continuing military superiority. To ensure a successful long-term breeding plan, the government even introduced specific new laws and installed a dedicated administration unit for horse-husbandry – the Tai Po Zhi 太僕寺. Their purpose was not only to multiply the number of horses, but also to breed ever superior varieties. These horses from the imperial pastures were not only for military use, but also for sports such as hunting and polo, as well as entertainment.

Accounts tell of Emperor Xuanzong’s (712-756), special troupe of 100 dance-horses (Wuma 舞 馬), which were trained to dance to music for the amusement of the court. They performed to specially composed music and lyrics such as the Song of the Upturned Cup – during the dramatic finale of which, one horse would bend its knees and clench a cup in its mouth and offer wine to the ruler to wish him longevity. This type of popular equine entertainment was probably not restricted to the imperial family, but also fashionable amongst the nobility as a sign of good taste and wealth.

Similar dancing horses were excavated from the Tang tombs of Zhang Shigui, a high ranking military man under emperor Taizong (r.629-649AD). Comparable examples can also be found in Cincinnati Museum of Art (Acc. Nr. 1997.53), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Acc. No: 67.62.2), the British Museum, London (no.1924,1112.1) and Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (EA1991.56).

Grandchildren of Dragons from Dens of the Moon

Four hundred hooves; Proud Prancers, lightly pacing, responsive to golden drums

China, Tang dynasty (618-907), 8th century

H: 34 cm

PROVENANCE

With Vanderven Oriental Art 2001

Collection van Milders, Belgium

TL Tested by Oxford Authentication

LITERATURE

Chen 2019

Desroches 1996, p.228-230

Holdsworth 1999

Jacobson 2013, p.184-185

Mater 2011, p.50-71

Rastelli 2008, p.239 no.118 & p.306

Yin 2016, p.98-109, nr 104-111

This elegant full-bodied pottery court lady, is typical of mid-Tang female figures. She wears a loose and flowing robe tied under the bust, the hem reaching the floor but just revealing the tips of her shoes. The voluminous sleeves fall down in front of her body and covers her left hand; a clenched right hand peeks out from her right sleeve. Her hair is styled extravagantly in an elaborate chignon with a double-barrelled topknot (quixing ji). The figure is hollow, the outside smoothly moulded and cleverly incised to suggest the folds of the garment. After firing, the pottery figure would have been covered in slip and painted with colourful facial features and dress detailing.

Tang ladies were greatly pre-occupied with their beauty routines – particularly their hair and make-up. As Chinese believed that part of the life force of humans was contained in their hair, they let it grow very long. This allowed for an impressive variety of exotic hairstyles, with over a hundred different kinds recorded. These extravagant coiffures were held in place with hairpins and combs, sometimes padded with horsehair for added volume. The women also used flamboyant cosmetics – blush, lip rouge (ynazhi) and an array of boldly shaped eyebrows – each style given a name. Colourful flower-shaped ornaments (huadian) would be pasted to the foreheads and on cheeks to complete the look.

The fashion for plumpness, is often reflected in pottery figures and tomb frescoes dating from the 8th century, which is why these figure are sometimes referred to as ´fat ladies’. This preference for the fuller figure is said to have been influenced by Emperor Xuanzong’s (r.713-756) beloved plump concubine Yang Guifei. But it is more likely that this notable weight increase among wealthy society, came from their more sedentary and luxurious lifestyle.

There was a great assortment of imported luxury goods traded in the bustling Tang capital city of Xi’an. Written records note the great variety of delicacies from the neighbouring countries such golden peaches from Samarkand, Persian pistachios, pine nuts and ginseng roots from Korea and mangoes imported from Southeast Asia.

A court lady with a very similar hairstyle is in the collection of Musée Guimet, Paris (MA6106). A larger figure is in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (CIRC.124-1938). Comparable figures were also found in the tomb of Prince Li Xian in Sanhecun, Shanxi Province.

China, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

H: 23.6 cm | W: 10 cm

PROVENANCE

Christie’s Monaco 17 June 1990 lot 41

Spink & Son, London

Purchased from V&V 1990’s

Jansen - Eras Collection, The Netherlands

LITERATURE

Campen 2011, p.152-173

Geiger 1994, p.97 p.24-25, p.71

Clunas 1996, p.69

Dam-Mikkelsen & Lundbaek 1980, p.190-191

Eberle 2015, no.396 & 404

Rawski & Rawson 2005, p.258-259 no.173

Ströber 2002, p.284-286 no.632-636

Tsang & Moss 1986, p.52 no.14