Han Dynasty, Circa 202 BC – 220 AD An incredibly beautiful Han Dynasty figure in a standing pose with lively visage, with bulging eyes, raised colourful ears, a pronounced snout with flared nostrils and open mouth revealing his teeth and likely neighing. A hole in the back for an attachable tail. The horse also displays a neat, manicured mane and finely decorated saddle adorning his red coat. During this early period of Chinese history, horses originated from Ferghana Valley in Central Asia present day Afghanistan. When members of the elite died, these “walking” terracotta horses displaying an immense degree of attention to detail. Funerary sculptures like this are called mingqi, also referred to as “spirit utensils” or “vessels from ghosts”. They became popular in the Han Dynasty and would continue for several centuries. Cf. Gerald M. Greenwald, The Greenwald Collection, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, no. 1. For similar see Christie's, lot 1305, 24 Mar 2011. Size: L:580mm / W:480mm ; 9.3kg. Provenance: UK private collection; formerly acquired in the early 1990s in Hong Kong.