Winchester College possesses the pottery horse below. Watch this short video to learn about the object. Beneath the video I give a more complete description of it, and its historical context.
The above pottery horse is from around 750 AD, and can be viewed in the Treasury at Winchester College. It was given to the College as part of the Duberly Collection in 1978, and features in the catalogue of the same collection and the Treasury guidebook, both linked below. It was purchased by Major Montagu and Lady Eileen Duberly for £200 in 1953, the equivalent of £6,000 today. The sculptor has conveyed the horse's power and ferocity whilst preserving its elegance.
The horse, standing with its left foreleg raised, mouth open and ears pricked, has detailed fold marks on its neck. The pottery has a pink tinge and is painted with traces of a white pigment. There are also traces of pink on the horse's muzzle, orange on his saddle and grey on the harness. The mane is painted brick-red. The saddle is comprised of a short piece of flowing cloth, painted orange, and an extremely long side panel. It differs greatly from modern saddles. The harness is very long, stretching along the whole horse and tying the horse's tail up with jingles. The object is 50 centimetres tall and 56 centimetres long.
Horses were a potent image during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), when this horse originates from. Only those of a certain rank were allowed to own horses, used in war and to play polo. Those serving in the military had to provide their own horse. The most sought-after horses, known as 'blood-sweating horses', came from the west of China, the steppes of central Asia, specifically Ferghana. The horse above is clearly one of these horses, as it is both muscular and tall.
Winchester College Collections: winchestercollections.co.uk/collection/pottery-figure-of-a-horse
Winchester College Treasury: treasury.winchestercollege.org
'The Duberly Collection of Chinese Art at Winchester College': treasury.winchestercollege.org/new-design/pages/forms/duberly-collection-of-chinese-art
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