Lot 163. A large painted pottery figure of a prancing horse, Tang dynasty (618-907). Height 21 3/4  in., 55.2 cm; Length 19 1/2  in., 49.5 cm. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot sold 20,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the energetically modeled and caparisoned horse with a raised right foreleg, the back legs bent bearing the weight of the prancing posture, the head raised upward and turning slightly to the left, the mouth agape and nostrils flared, a long thick mane falling in wavy strands to one side of the neck, the draped saddle hanging in flared pleats over the saddle blanket with faint traces of red floral decoration, the black-painted harness embellished with alternating palmette and shield-form medallions in red, traces of black and red pigment throughout. 

Provenance: Sotheby’s New York, 15th June 1983, lot 187.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art, New York, 17 march 2015, 02:00 PM