Ox Cart. Northern Qi Dynasty, China, A.D. 550-577.

Ox Cart. Northern Qi Dynasty, China, 550-577 A.D.
Polychrome terracotta.
With thermoluminescence analysis and export certificate.
Measurements: 31 x 40 x 13 cm.

Figure of an ox standing, walking slowly, on a small base, of an ox harnessed to pull a cart with some social or religious function and not merely agricultural, probably belonging to a funerary trousseau of the Northern Qi dynasty. It still retains much of the original polychrome, applied as an engobe on the clay piece and not glazed.

The Northern Qi Dynasty was a dynasty that ruled northern China during a period of political division known as the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It was founded by Gao Yang after the fall of the Eastern Wei and established its capital at Ye.

The Northern Qi was noted for its strong military organization and for the great impetus it gave to Buddhism, promoting the construction of temples and religious sculptures such as those in the Longmen Caves. Their art was characterized by stylized figures and a marked spirituality.

However, internal conflicts and power struggles weakened the dynasty, which was finally conquered in 577 AD by the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Despite its short duration, it left an important cultural and artistic legacy in the history of China.