Horse; Sichuan, China, Tang Dynasty, 206 BC – 220 AD

Horse; Sichuan, China, Tang Dynasty, 206 BCE – 220 CE
Terracotta.
Thermoluminescence data attached.
Shows restoration along a fracture line on the left ear and on the front legs. Slight damage to the left front hoof.
Measurements: 116 x 110 x 30 cm.
This large-scale horse with remarkable sculptural presence is modeled with great volumetric force and is depicted standing, with all four legs firmly planted on the ground in a posture of restrained movement, conveying a sense of dynamic stability. The head is held high, with a trimmed mane rising between alert ears, wide-open eyes, flared nostrils, and a prominent muzzle with a slightly parted mouth revealing the teeth—features that reinforce its energetic and realistic character.
These types of figures, known as mingqi (“grave goods”), were part of the funerary offerings intended to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. Their function was not decorative, but symbolic and ritual: they replaced goods, animals, and servants from the earthly world, ensuring the deceased had the necessary conditions for their continued existence in the afterlife. In this context, the horse held a prominent place as a symbol of status, military power, and social prestige, as well as being an essential element in the organization and expansion of the Han Empire.
The Han Dynasty is considered one of the great periods of splendor in Chinese civilization, characterized by the consolidation of imperial power, territorial expansion, and intense cultural development. Through the Silk Road, contacts with Central Asia, India, and other regions were strengthened, which fostered a remarkable exchange of ideas, techniques, and goods. This context of openness also fostered the development of religious beliefs, including Confucianism and Buddhism, as well as increasingly refined artistic production. Taken as a whole, this horse figurine not only reflects the high technical level of Han ceramics but also a deeply symbolic conception of funerary art, in which the representation of the animal combines realism, status, and ritual function within the Chinese vision of the transition to the afterlife.