Tricolor horse

[Tri-color horse]

Tri-color horse, Tang Dynasty, 76.5cm high
The horse stands upright on the pallet with its ears towering and eyes wide open, showing a calm attitude when standing. Wearing a ruffled head, wearing a chest climbing and autumn belt, hanging an apricot leaf ornament, a saddle on the horse’s back, wrapped with a saddle bundle, lined with carved mats and mud barriers, and tied with flower knots at the tail. White, green and ochre glaze is applied throughout
This tri-color work of the Tang Dynasty is accurate in shape, well-proportioned, and its tall and powerful four legs are particularly vivid
The reason why horses were valued in the Tang Dynasty is related to the nomadic lineage of the Li Tang Dynasty itself. Li Shimin regarded hunting on horseback as one of the three great pleasures of a great husband. He asked Yan Liben to draw a sample of six horses from the Zhaoling (Tomb of Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty) and asked craftsmen to carve them into stone reliefs to accompany him forever. Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, domesticated a dancing horse and kicked it and danced at the Millennium Festival on his birthday. Li Baiyin, a poet, wrote a beautiful sentence, “Five flowers and horses, thousands of gold and fur, and Huer will exchange them for good wine, and share with you the eternal sorrow”. Horses are an indispensable part of the life of the Tang Dynasty. Many tricolor horses were unearthed in the tombs of the Tang Dynasty, reflecting the Tang people’s love for horses
This exhibit was donated by Mr. Zheng Zhenduo.