Beschreibung:

A pair of very large painted pottery horses Tang Dynasty Both finely modelled in mid-stride with heads raised, mouths agape, flaring nostrils and bulging eyes, the features finely detailed with forelocks swept back towards the trimmed mane falling short of the saddle, traces of red pigment over white slip remaining. Each 64.5cm (25 1/4in) long. (2). Fußnoten 唐 陶胎彩繪馬俑一對 The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C111k94, dated 7 September 2011, is consistent with the dating of this lot. Oxford Authentication Ltd公司熱釋光檢測結果（2011年9月7日，編號C111k94）顯示年代與本拍品年代一致。 Realistically modelled in a forward moving posture, with long striding legs, pricked ears and flowing saddle cloth, this large pair of horses display a remarkable degree of observation on the sculptor part which is vividly captured in the finest examples of pottery figures manufactured during the Tang dynasty. Horses in Tang-dynasty China were admired for their speed, tenaciousness, and intelligence; they were deemed important means in the realms of travel and war and played a big role in the leisure activities of the highest-ranking classes, such as polo, hunting and dancing. A particular breed of foreign horse were favoured by the Xuanzhong emperor to perform a variety of dancing performances (r.667-731 AD) on the occasion of his birthday. See R.Jacobsen, Celestial Horses and Long Sleeve Dancers: The David W. Dewey Collection of Ancient Tomb Sculptures, Minneapolis, 2013. A related pottery model of a horse, Tang dynasty, is illustrated in V.Choi, Horses for Eternity-Terracotta Equestrian Tomb Sculpture of Dynastic China, Hong Kong, 2007, no.67, pp.186-7.