Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

The horse is standing on three legs, the fourth raised high in the air, the neck turned sharply to the left in an exaggerated pose, the massive head with combed mane and with mouth open, the tail docked and tied up. The saddle is placed on an angular blanket and covered with a cloth, which is tied together on both sides. The pale grey body is coated with a white dressing and shows traces of red and other pigments. The underside is open and the figure hollow. The piece has been adapted from a genuine figure of a standing horse, the neck, head and right leg being modern additions.

Tang (AD 618–907) figures of horses of this basic type, but standing four square on a rectangular plinth, are fairly common. The legs have almost never survived intact. Prancing horses are also known of the Tang dynasty, but are very rare and differently modelled, since the stance of the horse naturally differs in this pose. A good example of a prancing horse is illustrated in H. d’Ardenne de Tizac, La Sculpture Chinoise, Paris, 1931, pl.XVI top. Tang dynasty horses also generally do not have the head twisted in this extreme pose.