Vintage Ceramic Horse Standing Four Square on Plaque

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The fascination of horses is a long tradition in Chinese Culture which reached its zenith in the Han Dynasty 206 … Read more The fascination of horses is a long tradition in Chinese Culture which reached its zenith in the Han Dynasty 206 BCE to CE 220. During that time there was a belief that the human souls resided in Western Paradise, and the fastest way of reaching there would be riding a dragon. But since dragons were mythical creatures so the best way was to ride a horse. On account of this belief, pottery and wood repicas of horses were made as burial objects to accompany the deceased to the afterlife. In the Tang Dynasty CE 618 to 907, many horses were glazed and made more lifelike. This horse in turquoise glaze is made in Tang Dynasty style, standing four square on a plaque with its head out and ears perk up, mouth opened braying and holding its majestic pose. In this respect, the potter/sculptor did a wonderful job. The musculture of the horse's torso, the stance on the legs are made just right. The glaze drips on the plaque add to its charm. It can be surmised that maker has an authentic Tang horse as a model, even the measurements are pretty accurate, most authenic horses have nearly the same height as length. See less