Large Chinese Tang Horse in Artistic Pose. Tang Dynasty, 618-907 AD. A beautiful terracotta horse standing on three legs upon a flat trapezoidal base, beautifully decorated textured saddle and saddle-cloth, the head with short mane and long neck artistically turned to the left grasping the raised leg, traces of polychrome visible inside the nose, on the short mane, on the saddle and saddle cloth, on the short tail and hooves.See Prodan, M., The Art of The T'ang Potter, Thames and Hudson, 1960, for comparable examples of horses with the same saddle-cloth (fig.53).10.3 kg, 52cm (20 1/2"). From a West Country collection, 1990s; formerly with a Hong Kong gallery; accompanied by a positive thermoluminescence report no.05CM180321 issued by Laboratory Kotalla; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10606-173321.These powerful horses accompanied the emperor and his warriors in battle, like the mystic 'Autumn Mist', one of the Tang Tsai-Tsung's six favourite chargers. The element of fire, Feng Shui, was a symbol strongly associated with the horses. The artist was not only concerned with the artistic possibilities offered by the animal, but also with the faithful representation of the details, like the saddle and trappings here, showing the typical Tang saddle and saddle-cloth. A video of this lot is available to view at TimeLine Auctions website.