CHINESE NORTHER WEI DYNASTY TERRACOTTA HORSE WITH

C. 386-534 AD. Chinese Northern Wei Dynasty. Terracotta Horse. An elegant hollow-moulded terracotta horse. This horse is modelled in a standing pose with its neck elegantly arched and its ears pricked forward attentively. Taken together with the elaborate trappings which are modelled in great, this terracotta may represent a horse fitted out for the parade. The head is well modelled with notched ears pricked either side of a feather ornament, with a tasselled rope looped around the top of the neck and tufted ornaments on the chest collar, the back is covered with a long cloth gathered at the bottom atop the flaring mud guard. Traces of gold foil are still visible. Horses were an important status symbol in ancient China. These animals were brought to China via the Silk Road and were considered a luxury good. As such horses were a sign of wealth among the elite, and there were strict laws which restricted the ownership of horses to people of elevated rank. In fact, soldiers serving in China's military had to provide their own mounts indicating that only the richest members of society could serve in the cavalry. This exceptionally well-preserved terracotta is part of a long tradition of horse statuettes in China, and in fact, the earliest known example of a stirrup, today a mainstay of equestrianism, was found on another Chinese statue of a horse from Hunan province, dated to AD 302. This piece has been precisely dated having undergone Thermo Luminescence analysis by Ralf Kotalla, an independent German Laboratory. The samples collected date the piece to the period reflected in its style, whilst also showing no modern trace elements. Its TL certificate with full report will also accompany this lot. Provenance: Private London collection of Asian Art; formerly in an old British collection. Acquired in Hong Kong in the early 1990s. Size: L:620mm / W:430mm ; 11.2kg