Lot 46. A sancai-glazed pottery figure of a caparisoned horse, Tang dynasty (618-907). Height 18 in., 45.7 cm. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot sold 68,750 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

well-modeled, standing foursquare on a flat base, the arching neck with a mane of neatly grooved strands of alternating green, cream and amber-glaze, the head slightly turning to the left, a cream-glazed split forelock and modeled with crisp compact features including large eyes, open mouth and flared nostrils, fitted with an elaborate bridle suspending applied palmettes on the forehead, nose and at each cheek, the cream-glazed body with further ornate green and amber-glazed trappings; the breast strap bearing large applied medallions and a further palmette at each shoulder, the applied ornaments suspending in alternating lengths across the sturdy haunches, the harness molded with small florets, the saddle concealed beneath a green-glazed saddle cloth roughly worked to simulate fur, with wood stand (2) 

Provenance: Christian Humann, (d. 1981) Pan Asian Collection, New York.
Ben Heller, Inc., New York, 17th November 1981.

Note: Only a small number of horses, generally of very high quality, possess bi-color manes, undoubtedly because of the difficulty of controlling the viscous lead-based glazes.  Even fewer examples display tri-color manes. The majority of horses with polychrome manes have been excavated in the Luoyang area of Henan province. For an example of a sancai and blue-glazed horse with a bi-color mane see Tang Ceramics Made in Henan; the Tri-Coloured & Blue and White, Beijing, 2005, p. 325, no. 418.