Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.) Height 35 each cm., wide 35 and 36 cm. Property from Very Important Private Collection - Note of the expert: These impressive, sculptures of horses still retain much of their original white pigment in tact. However, even more impressive, is the removable saddles that grace their backs! Traces of polychrome are also visible inside the nose and along the mouth. All these rare features are sought after by collectors. When one imagines these horses as they might have originally appeared, with vibrant hues and a similarly modeled riders, the illusion would have been uncanny. These gorgeous sculptures are a testament to the admiration and adoration the Chinese had for this marvelous creature. Although they were an integral part in the expansion and defense of the empire, they were equally regarded for their beauty and grace as revealed by this sculpture! -Provenance: Ex. Collection Mr. Drs. H.K. Amsterdam Note: Property from Very Important Dutch Private Collection! The collection consists of ca. 14 Chinese pottery objects (including horses form the Six dynasties to Tang dynasty, attendants, musicians, guards of honor, camels), ca. 25 Pre-Columbian, and 10 Egyptian objects, all objects will be auctioned in the coming Catawiki auctions. - from the Drs. H. K. collections. Mr. H. K. was one of the Dutch foremost art collectors, the range of whose interests was extraordinary. These included Chinese, Egyptian, Pre-Columbian, and South-East Asian art. Mr. K. was chairman of the ABU from 1999 to 2014. In addition, K. was chairman of Youth Care Netherlands, member of the Social-Economic Council (SER), columnist for “Het Financieele Dagblad”, active at VNO-NCW, advisor to the presidium of the House of Representatives, he held many supervisory positions and was active at FNV. He was consistently one of the 200 most influential people in the Netherlands, according to de Volkskrant! Note: It will be professionally packed and safely sent in a wooden crate within 3 working days by FedEx. Shipped with Insurance! Our Guarantee: The above item is guaranteed to be of the time period and condition as described, has been purchased legally and is legal to buy and sell under all international laws to cultural patrimony. - All items legal to buy/sell under The Netherlands covering cultural patrimony, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. - The results of the thermoluminescence tests, are consistent with the dating of the items, Tang dynasty. Sampling in 6 different points Please be advise that the two horses have been tested, and there are tow separate TL tests! - The result of the Pre-dose test is consistent with the dating of the items and the test confirms old firing without any kind of artificial x-ray treatments! The spirited figures shown standing with left and right legs raised and heads upwards the arched necks, the long manes swept to one side and the divided forelocks curved under the pricked ears, the tails docked and the saddles covered with a long, draped saddle cloths, with traces of brown, red and black pigment. Auction result comparison: For a closely related prancing horse, sharing the near identical facial features see, Christie’s New York, March 2006, lot 382. Additional Information: Tang Dynasty National unification during the Tang dynasty brought about centuries of social stability and economic prosperity. Ceramic art evolved further towards maturity and important kiln centres emerge across the country. The repertoire of mortuary objects in Tang tombs closely followed those of earlier periods. The majority was still made of pottery clay and came in many forms and styles, which illustrate the evolution and traits of Tang ceramic art. These objects can broadly be divided into five categories namely tomb guardians, guards of honour, attendants, animals, and utilitarian wares. Tang dynasty tomb figures are pottery figures of people and animals made in the Tang dynasty of China (618–906) as grave goods to be placed in tombs. There was a belief that the figures represented would become available for the service of the deceased in the afterlife. The figures are made of moulded earthenware with colour generally being added, though often not over the whole figure, or in naturalistic places. Where the colouring was in paint it has often not survived, but in many cases, it was in sancai ("three-colour") ceramic glaze, which has generally lasted well. The figures, called mingqui in Chinese, were most often of servants, soldiers (in male tombs) and attendants such as dancers and musicians, with many no doubt representing courtesans. In burials of people of high rank there may be soldiers and officials as well. The animals are most often horses, but there are surprising numbers of both Bactrian camels and their Central Asian drivers, distinguished by thick beards and hair, and their facial features. The depictions are realistic to a degree unprecedented in Chinese art, and the figures give archaeologists much useful information about life under the Tang. There are also figures of the imaginary monster "earth spirits" and the fearsome human Lokapala (or tian wang), both usually in pairs and acting as tomb guardians to repel attacks by both spirits and humans. Sets of the twelve imaginary beasts of the Chinese Zodiac are also found, usually unglazed. The most common animals, and the most likely to be large and carefully modelled and decorated, are horses and camels. Both sorts range from animals without harness and saddlery to those with elaborately detailed trappings, and carrying riders or, in the case of camels, heavy loads of goods. The graceful ladies with plump faces and bodies (so called Fat ladies), the smartly dressed civil officials, the mighty warriors, the horses with saddles and accessories, as well as camels and non - Chinese figurines are all results of the potter’s keen observation and superb virtuosity. They allow us to visualise life in China more than a millennium ago. - A Certificate of Authenticity from Becker Antiques (specialist in Chinese pottery since 1969, Amsterdam) will accompany the item. Condition: Very good condition. Wear consistent with the age, some loss of color. Please be advised that all ancient Chinese pottery objects had been buried in tombs and are excavated from there. Therefore, they can always have some restorations. Also worth of note is that the item is more than 1200 years old. Important information. The seller guarantees that he is entitled to ship this lot. It will be professionally packed and safely sent in a wooden crate by FedEx. 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