Mingqi - Pottery - Rare Tang elite "tiger-hood" cavalry warrior - with TL test - China - Tang Dynasty (618-907)

Rare pottery "mingqi" featuring a TANG ELITE TIGER-HOOD CAVALRY WARRIOR (see below) Dating back to the TANG dynasty (618-907) 44,5cm H X 38cm L Grey pottery coated with white slip and remaining yellow and red pigments. The horse is well detailed, without pottery terrace. The warrior and saddle all together are removable (see pictures) . This horse comes with a TL certificate from Ralf Kotalla, in 3 different points, consistent with the Tang dating. Provenance : private Belgian collection. From the 500s to the 980s, successive Chinese dynasties have employed a distinctive "tiger hood" that marked some of their most elite warriors on the battlefield. Sometimes the item would be sewn out of colorful fabrics with gilded rims and lacquered features that imitated a grimacing tiger, while other times real tiger skin (claws and head) would be used to give the wearer a ferocious aspect. This concerned the bravest and the highest quality of fighting troops, which task was : - dangerous long distance scouting missions - performing as shock cavalry troops maximized to turn the tide of battle at a decisive moment. For this purpose, they were saddled with the best horses, they were armed with a variety of weapons which allowed them to effectively respond vigorously to most situations. Important information. The seller guarantees that he is entitled to ship this lot. It will be safely sent by Fed. Ex. The seller will take care that any necessary permits will be arranged. The seller will inform the buyer about this if this takes more than a few days. No shipping to USA according to regulations regarding archaeology. The seller of this lot hereby guarantees that this object was obtained legally. The seller guarantees that he is entitled to ship this object(s) . The seller will take care that any necessary permits will be arranged. The seller will inform the buyer about this if this takes more than a few days. Catawiki disclaimer: This piece has been dated based on a TL test. No further tests, such as, an analysis of pigments or radiography scans have been conducted to check the integrity of the piece.