Ancient Chinese, Northern Wei Terracotta Horse and Rider – TL Tested - Northern Wei Dynasty (4th–5th Century AD) – - 36.5 cm (No reserve price)

Important Chinese funerary terracotta group in polychrome representing a mounted rider, ancient China, attributable to the Six Dynasties / Wei dynasties period, around the 4th–5th century CE.

The sculpture, 36.5 cm high, 26.5 cm wide and 2.23 kilograms in weight, features a powerfully modeled horse standing on a rectangular base, bearing a rider dressed in a long tunic and wearing a characteristic headdress.

The ensemble retains significant traces of ancient polychromy in red, ochre, cream and gray-brown tones. The highly graphic treatment of the horse’s head, its large circular eyes, the deliberately stylized silhouette of the animal, and the hieratic bearing of the rider give this piece a particularly strong presence.

This type of sculpture belongs to the Chinese tradition of mingqi, funeral objects made to accompany the deceased in the afterlife. Representations of riders gain particular importance during the centuries corresponding to the Six Dynasties and the Northern Dynasties, a period marked by the growing role of cavalry in society and in funerary iconography.

The piece is accompanied by an extensive thermoluminescence report from Labor Ralf Kotalla, Germany, dated February 26, 2001, report No. 010243.

The laboratory performed four samplings directly on the object:

– the base;
– the right leg;
– the horse’s chin;
– the rider’s back.

The result concludes that the clay is “fired in antiquity” and estimates the last firing at 1,650 years ± 170 years before the date of analysis.

This scientific dating places the firing of the terracotta within a range compatible with late antique China and the Six Dynasties period.

The report explicitly identifies the object as a “Reiterfigur aus gebranntem Ton” – a terracotta rider figure – from China. The original photograph of the object is included on the certificate, enabling its direct identification.

Dimensions

Height: 35.5 cm
Depth: approximately 27 cm
Width: 11 cm
Weight: 2.232 kg

Condition:

Good overall condition considering its age.

Surface wear, losses of polychromy, deposits, small gaps, cracks and irregularities consistent with age and the archaeological nature of the object.

High-definition photographs form an integral part of the description and allow precise appreciation of the conservation state.

Authentication:

Thermoluminescence report Ralf Kotalla
Report No. 010243
Date: 26 February 2001
Result: fired in antiquity
TL dating: 1,650 years ± 170 years
Four samplings carried out on different parts of the object.

The original illustrated report will be given to the buyer with the sculpture.

Provenance:

China.

Former European private collection.

Professionally packed with particular care, suitable for archaeological terracotta.

Tracked and insured shipping during transit.