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Source Description
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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
84457
label
A Large Painted Striding Horse
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
84457
contentType
object
title
A Large Painted Striding Horse
description
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.
date
700–800s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 78.1 x 80 x 22.2 cm (30 3/4 x 31 1/2 x 8 3/4 in.)
cul
China, Tang dynasty (618–907)
accession
2024.156
Source extras
tec
Pottery with white slip and mineral colors
tombstone
A 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
collection
China - Tang Dynasty
didYouKnow
A groove runs over the horse’s neck from its ears to the saddle, indicating that its mane and tail were once filled with real horsehair to render the sculpture more realistic.
citations
citation
Von Spee, Clarissa. "Chinese Ceramics and Works on Paper." In <em>The Keithley Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, </em>edited by Heather Lemonedes Brown, 194–229. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2022.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 196–197; Mentioned: pp. 259–261
creditline
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift
updatedAt
2026-06-11 12:17:39.298000
sourceId
84457
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Tang Dynasty
med
Pottery with white slip and mineral colors
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
2f526274205ee3f8