A Large Painted Striding Horse
700–899
- Medium
- Pottery with white slip and mineral colors
- Dimensions
- Overall: 78.1 x 80 x 22.2 cm (30 3/4 x 31 1/2 x 8 3/4 in.)
- Genre
- Ceramics
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
China, Tang dynasty (618-907)
About
Horses were symbols of status and power in ancient China, used for military operations, mobility, and entertainment for the elite. Around the second century BCE onward, pottery horses began to be placed in tombs as status symbols and companions of the deceased in the afterworld. This horse is harnessed with a saddle and is exceptionally large. It presents a well-bred specimen that strides forcefully ahead.