拍賣筆記 Vol.54 大唐帝國的名馬 - Horses of the Tang Dynasty

兩件精美的大唐帝國馬匹雕塑充分展現了唐代社會中馬匹的高尚地位及工匠的高超技藝。其中陶馬動態生動，三足著地，前蹄高舉，後腿分開，這種姿態在易碎的陶器中塑造出如此生動的動感，實屬不易。

兩件雕塑的馬頭均雕刻細緻，鞍具、披掛等細節亦經過精心刻畫，不僅體現了工匠對解剖結構的把握，也突顯了裝飾的美感。馬匹在唐代被視為權力、地位和文化精緻的象徵，極受尊崇。

A large sancai-glazed figure of a horse, Tang dynasty

Live auction begins on:

November 6, 06:30 PM HKT

Estimate

20,000 - 30,000 GBP

Height 68 cm

Provenance

Acquired in Asia, circa 2000.

Christie's London, 15th May 2007, lot 195.

A large painted pottery figure of a prancing horse, Tang dynasty

這件精美的陶馬充分展現了唐代社會中馬匹的高尚地位及工匠的高超技藝。陶馬動態生動，三足著地，前蹄高舉，後腿分開，這種姿態在易碎的陶器中塑造出如此生動的動感，實屬不易。馬頭的雕刻細緻，鞍具、披掛等細節亦經過精心刻畫，不僅體現了工匠對解剖結構的把握，也突顯了裝飾的美感。馬匹在唐代被視為權力、地位和文化精緻的象徵，極受尊崇。

可供參照的是，在多倫多皇家安大略博物館1983年展出的「絲綢之路—中國船舶」展覽中，有一件具有相似鞍具紋理的騰躍馬。此外，1993年6月3日在紐約佳士得拍賣會（拍品186）上亦展出過一件類似作品。北京故宮博物院亦收藏了一件白釉和棕釉的類似作品，尺寸和細節都相仿，收錄於《你應該知道的200件古代陶俑》（北京，2007年，圖版182）。這些相關作品進一步突顯了唐代藝術中騰躍馬的常見主題，每一件都獨特地表達了那個時代對馬匹的崇敬。

Estimate

15,000 - 30,000 GBP

Height 69.9 cm, 27½ in.

Provenance

Sotheby's New York, 31st March / 1st April 2005, lot 265.

Bonhams San Francisco, 10th December 2015, lot 8158.

Catalogue Note

Painted pottery horses sculpted in this lively and naturalistic fashion are rare. The head is skillfully carved and the rest of the body rendered with care in order to achieve the very complex position, whereby the horse is supported on three legs with a foreleg held up high and the hind legs far apart. Evidenced by the details of the drapery and trappings that are also carefully rendered, the masterly sculpting of this horse sincerely expresses the importance of horses in Tang society.

Compare a related prancing horse with similarly textured saddle included in the exhibition Silk Roads. China Ships, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, 1983, p. 69 (left); and another sold at Christie’s New York, 3rd June 1993, lot 186. Compare also a related white- and brown-glazed example of similar size, textured saddle and trappings, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Ni yinggai zhidao de 200 jian gudai taoyong / The 200 Objects You Should Know. Pottery Figures, Beijing, 2007, pl. 182.