The pottery figure depicts a horse groom standing with both arms raised and his hands clenched as if holding reins, decorated in amber and cream glazes. His facial features are characteristic of Central Asian figures represented in Tang pottery sculpture. He wears a short coat with wide lapels over trousers tucked into knee-high boots, a costume derived from Western Asian dress.
An amber and cream-glazed pottery figure of a groom (Tang dynasty, 618–907)
1 in stock
Description
Dimensions:
58 cm high.
Provenance:
A private English collection, acquired in Hong Kong in the 1990s
Christie’s London, 2001
Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art, London
Exhibited:
Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art, TEFAF New York Fall, 2018
The pottery figure depicts a horse groom standing with both arms raised and his hands clenched as if holding reins, decorated in amber and cream glazes. His facial features are characteristic of Central Asian figures represented in Tang pottery sculpture. He wears a short coat with wide lapels over trousers tucked into knee-high boots, a costume derived from Western Asian dress.
Pottery grooms formed part of the mingqi, funerary objects placed in tombs to provide for the deceased in the afterlife. Central Asian merchants, envoys and horse handlers were a familiar presence in Tang Dynasty China, particularly in the cosmopolitan capital of Chang’an, reflecting the extensive exchanges fostered by the Silk Road. Their distinctive dress and features became established subjects in Tang tomb sculpture and were recalled in later depictions, evoking the cultural diversity of the period. Compare a similar example of near identical size in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Object Number: 1991.253.11.
Oxford thermoluminescence test, sample no. C101k89, dated 25 May 2001 is consistent with the dating of this piece.
Additional information
| Period | Tang dynasty (618–907) |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 58 cm high |
