tang dynasty
Tang Horse Figurine (c. 700–750 CE)
Earthenware horse figurine with sancai (three-color) lead glaze, produced in imperial workshop context c. 700–750 CE as a tomb funerary object (mingqi). Metropolitan Museum accession 1987.142.1.
Scholarly Significance
Anchor the Tang Dynasty cluster with a canonical example of sancai-glazed horse figurine, one of the most iconic objects of Tang funerary art.
Notes
- ·Sancai ('three-color') refers to the characteristic lead-fluxed glazes fired at low temperature, typically deploying amber/brown, green, and cream or white in splashed or dipped combinations.
- ·Tang horse figurines were produced as mingqi (spirit goods) placed in elite tombs to accompany the deceased in the afterlife.
- ·The horse held special prestige in Tang culture as a symbol of military power and aristocratic status; foreign breeds from Central Asia (Ferghana 'heavenly horses') were highly prized.
- ·Multiple comparable examples exist in major museum collections worldwide; the Met accession 1987.142.1 is used as the canonical reference for this graph node.
- ·Production context was likely imperial or high-aristocratic workshops in the Chang'an region, peak period roughly 680–750 CE (Xuanzong era).