This is an exquisite, 100% authentic, Tong (Tang) Dynasty straw-glazed, Terra-cotta Horse and Rider, dating to between 618-906 AD. This beautiful sculpture is painted in lovely earthy tones of beige, tans, and greens with the Riders face and head using dark browns, blacks, red and a pinkish hue. The colors are original and intact with a lustrous glaze over the entire piece with the exception of the head and a small portion of the base. The "General", as I like to respectfully call him is 12.75 inches high as he proudly sits atop his war horse which is nearly 12 inches long. These figures, both original and intact, sit stoically upon a sturdy Terra-cotta base. This wonderful sculpture is aesthetically pleasing and quite realistic as a nod to the artist's strong ability to realistically capture his subjects. It has full C.O.A. from it's professional laboratory testing in 2001 which was performed by Phyllis Hsia of Oxford Authentication South East Asia via a Thermoluminescence Analysis. In this test two small samples were taken from the figure and using standard methods and techniques it was estimated that the last date of firing was: between 900 and 1500 years ago. Putting this piece in the Late Tang Dynasty.

 Please see the pictures for more detail.

History/Provenance...

"Many figures from the Tang era are remnants of Chinese burial traditions that called for representations of daily life to be entombed with the deceased to assure social status in the afterlife. Horses were symbols of prestige, power and wealth, and for much of China's history, have represented the spirit of the Chinese. The horse embodies not only imperial might but also national development. Fine horses were sought by the Chinese as early as the third century B.C., when they began to trade with nomadic horse breeders in western Asia. Swift cavalry horses were also urgently needed to by the Chinese military campaigns against invaders who were constantly threatening the northern and western borders. The largest, most elaborate and in many ways the most beautiful effigies of these horses were made during the Tang Dynasty, specifically in the eighth century. During the Tang period, ceramic artists mastered naturalistic accuracy as well as controlled polychrome lead glazing. Powerful shapes blanketed with amorphous glazes created a balance design that unified form and color. Typical characteristics of Tang ceramics can be seen in these horses, such as their three different colored glazes, long thin lines of crazing and the elaborate detailing of the saddles."

- Taken from Iowa State University's Official website

Final Notes:

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