Gray Pottery Figure of a Horse, Han Dynasty

This Han dynasty horse sculpture adopts the standard funerary pose of a neighing steed with its mouth open. It is fired without glaze, leaving the clay body exposed, and holes indicate that the ears, tail, and legs were originally made separately and inserted. The elongated head is relatively finely modeled, and the horn-like projection along the mane represents a “celestial horse” (tianma), a prestigious type of steed favored by the Han aristocracy and imperial court.

Date : Han Dynasty(206 B.C.E. - 220 C.E.)
Dimension : 25cm (Height) x 28cm(Diameter)
Condition : Excellent
Provenance : Acquired in late 1990s from Hongkong
Reference : 
1) Smart Museum of Art - The University of Chicago - Object number 1997.100
(Type : Highly related)
https://smartcollection.uchicago.edu/objects/8323/horse

2) Sotheby's Newyork 22 November 2024 - Lot 139 - A gray pottery figure of a horse, Han dynasty
(Type : Closely related)
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/china-5000-years-including-property-from-the-junkunc-collection/a-gray-pottery-figure-of-a-horse-han-dynasty