Horse symbolism is rich and complex. In China, the horse is associated with speed and perseverance. In western cultures, the horse's fleetness can signify the wind and sea foam. And in one of the Indian Upanishads, it symbolizes the entire cosmos. This beautifully hand-crafted cloisonne horse, captures the wild, untamed nature that the horse also represents.

Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects with colored material held in place or separated by metal strips or wire, normally of gold. (I unaware if this is actually gold that separates the enamel pieces) The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné. The decoration is formed by first adding compartments (cloisons in French) to the metal object by soldering or affixing silver or gold as wires or thin strips placed on their edges. These remain visible in the finished piece, separating the different compartments of the enamel or inlays, which are often of several colors. (There is wire shown around ankles of this horse) Cloisonné enamel objects are worked on with enamel powder made into a paste, which then needs to be fired in a kiln. If gemstones or colored glass are used, the pieces need to be cut or ground into the shape of each cloison.

By the 14th century this enamel technique had been replaced in Europe by champlevé, but had then spread to China, where it was soon used for much larger vessels such as bowls, vases, and animals; the technique remains common in China to the present day, and cloisonné enamel objects using Chinese-derived styles were produced in the West from the 18th century.