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A Large Painted Striding Horse
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Horses were symbols of status and power in ancient China, used for military operations, mobility, and entertainment for the elite. Around the second century BCE onward, pottery horses began to be placed in tombs as status symbols and companions of the deceased in the afterworld. This horse is harnessed with a saddle and is exceptionally large. It presents a well-bred specimen that strides forcefully ahead.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineA Large Painted Striding Horse, 700–800s. China, Tang dynasty (618–907). Pottery with white slip and mineral colors; overall: 78.1 x 80 x 22.2 cm (30 3/4 x 31 1/2 x 8 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift, 2024.156
