Tang Dynasty Earthenware Horse with Sancai Glaze

Symbol of the Silk Road

No image captures the cosmopolitan dynamism of Tang Dynasty China more powerfully than the sancai horse. These large earthenware funerary sculptures celebrate the Bactrian and Arabian horses that arrived in China via the Silk Road — precious gifts from Central Asian kingdoms and symbols of power, military strength, and international prestige.

This horse is modelled with extraordinary naturalism: its head raised, its mane cropped, its legs planted firmly for stability. The sancai (three-colour) glaze — typically combining amber, green, and cream — is applied in flowing washes that blur and blend during the high-temperature firing, creating the characteristic marbled effect that has made these pieces some of the most sought-after Tang-period objects in the world.

Tang Dynasty Culture

The Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE) is widely regarded as the golden age of Chinese civilisation. Under emperors like Xuanzong, Chang'an (modern Xi'an) became one of the largest cities in the world, with a cosmopolitan population that included merchants, monks, and diplomats from across Eurasia. Tang sancai ceramics were produced specifically for elite burials, placed in tombs to surround the deceased with symbols of worldly status.