A terracotta rider statuette from the Han Dynasty. The figure is slender in profile with columnar body and integral saddlecloth richly clothed in black armour with painted studs and segmentation. The figure's face has been rendered with dark pigment for the eyes, eyebrows and moustache, and bright reddish-pink for the mouth. The face is framed by a dark helmet. The rider would have had detachable arms, now missing. Earthly encrustations to the surface, along with other signs of wear as consistent with its age, such as some surface pitting, flaking of pigment, and minor chips to the body. N.B. Heavy shipping applies. Grave goods were an important status symbol in ancient China, so the affluent and important would be accompanied in their travels through the afterlife with numerous depictions of people, items and animals forming a procession. Such terracotta figures were made for the service and entertainment of the owner, ensuring that their journey in the underworld was a happy one. Terracotta tomb attendants seemed to have first appeared during the Western Han Dynasty. However, it is during Tang China that the cultural tradition of displaying wealth in elite tombs reached its peak, with an increased production of terracotta statuettes. Measurements: (circa) W 14cm x H 27cm Provenance: Previously from a Hong Kong collection. Ex property of a London, UK, gentleman