An extremely fine and well-preserved moulded terracotta horse rider, dating to the Chinese Tang Dynasty. The figure is portrayed riding a naturalistically rendered horse which is standing on a rectangular base. The (possibly) female court attendant is presented wearing the traditional Tang Dynasty court attire and coiffure consisting of a high bun. Facial features are sensitively rendered with eyes and eyebrows emphasised with black pigment while the lips and cheeks are painted in red following the makeup trends of the Tang court. The original white, red and black pigments are still visible to the figure’s surfaces, especially on the horses eyes. Such colours would have been applied after firing resulting in the pieces being more prone to flaking. However, in this case, the original colours have preserved themselves extremely fine, maintaining part of their original brightness. According to the British Museum: As in every dynasty since the Han, horses remained an obsession of the Tang court. Horses served as symbols of power, prestige, and in particular, wealth. A love of horses also spurred the adoption of the Iranian sport of polo by the Tang elite. Provenance: Purchased by the current owner in 2021 from a London Art Gallery, previously owned before the 1970s. The supplier warrants that he obtained this lot legally. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki. Important information. The seller guarantees that he is entitled to ship this lot. The seller will take care that any necessary permits will be arranged. The seller will inform the buyer about this if this takes more than a few days. Important: For destinations out of Spanish territory: all our objects will be shipped after obtaining CERTIFICATE OF EXPORTATION by Ministry of Culture of Spain. We inform our clients that it may take between 4-8 weeks.