Description
A Large Tang Dynasty Painted Pottery Horse with detachable saddle
Accompanied by an Oxford Authentication Thermoluminescence Analysis Report
Dimensions: Horse: 19 x W 21 x 7 inches (49 x 53 x 17 cm)
Condition: Very good with wear commensurate of age and use. Evidence of professional restoration to rear right leg and ears. Difficult to see. Presents beautifully.
This impressive Tang dynasty painted pottery horse represents a fine example of early Tang funerary sculpture, embodying both the artistic sophistication and cultural ideals of one of China’s most prosperous periods. Standing in a composed and dignified posture, the horse lowers its head slightly while maintaining an alert and powerful presence. Its upright ears, elongated neck, broad chest, rounded abdomen, muscular hindquarters, and sturdy legs convey the strength and vitality associated with the prized horses of the Tang Empire. A separately modeled saddle rests upon the horse’s back, complete with prominent saddle arches and draped saddlecloths extending along both flanks. Finely incised linear decoration across the saddle surface suggests woven textile patterns, demonstrating the sculptor’s careful attention to equestrian equipment and ceremonial display. The horse is covered with a white slip, now weathered to a soft grayish-white tone through centuries of burial and natural aging. Particularly noteworthy are the surviving traces of red pigment preserved along the mane. These remnants suggest that the sculpture was originally more vividly painted, as was common among Tang tomb figures.
COA and TL Testing
the sculpture is accompanied by a Thermoluminescence (TL) Analysis Report issued by Oxford Authentication Ltd. (Sample No. C202b49), dated November 21, 2002, together with a Certificate of Authenticity dated November 24, 2002. These documents provide significant scientific and scholarly support for the dating of the piece. Unlike traditional connoisseurship, which relies primarily upon stylistic comparison and expert opinion, thermoluminescence testing is a scientific method used to determine the approximate date of a ceramic object’s last firing. Oxford Authentication® has specialized in the authentication of ceramic antiquities through TL testing since 1997. According to the company, its reports are widely recognized and accepted by museums, auction houses, dealers, collectors, and courts of law throughout the world, serving as an important benchmark in the authentication of ancient ceramic objects. According to the report, samples were collected on November 5, 2002, by Phyllis Hsia, Oxford Authentication’s representative for Southeast Asia. Three independent samples were taken from beneath the horse’s head, from the right side of the body, and from beneath the saddle. Through laboratory analysis of the thermoluminescent signals retained within the ceramic matrix, Oxford Authentication estimated the date of the object’s last firing. The results from all three samples were found to be consistent, indicating that the horse was last fired approximately 1,000 to 1,600 years before the date of testing. The report explicitly concludes that the results are “CONSISTENT with the suggested period of manufacture,” namely the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD).
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