A rare brown and sancai-glazed pottery figure of a horse, Tang dynasty

Collection of Aurelias Parenti. 

Christie's New York, 3rd June 1988, lot 207.

China House of Arts, New York, 1989.

Reflections of Ancient China, China Gallery, New York, 2005. 

The present horse is exceptional for its beautiful sancai-glazed saddle, its rare brown-glazed body, and the unique contrasting pattern of circular dots to the horse's lower back. Masterly sculpted with a muscular body supported on long, powerful legs, the present horse is aptly brought to life by the talented artist. The lively green, straw and amber splatters and drips in variegated tones on the saddle, contrasted with the dark brown glaze of the horse, instilling the piece with a spirited vitality. 

Horses covered in this beautiful dark-brown glaze are rare. A pattern of circular spotting is seen on the horse's lower back, possibly an effort of the artisan to both individualize the animal while explicitly referencing the imperial favor bestowed on horses with a dappled coat. 

Compare two horses excavated from the Tang tomb of Prince Jiemin-Li Chongjun in Fuping county in 1995: one covered in a matte-brown glaze, with a similar sancai-glazed saddle and the other covered in a brown glaze with an ochre-colored saddle, illustrated in National Treasure – Collection of Rare Cultural Relics of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, 1998, pp 183-84. See also, a horse covered in black glaze, in the Luoyang Museum, illustrated in Da Sancai, Sancai from Luoyang Museum and the Liaoning Provincial Museum, 1989, p. 31, no. 11. Compare another black-glazed horse, with a cream-colored mane and elaborate breast straps, sold as a pair with another chestnut-glazed horse, twice in these rooms, the first, 27th March 2003, lot 36, and the second, 17th September 2013, lot 45. 

The dating of this lot is consistent with the results of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. 466k92.