Painted Pottery Figurine of a Horse

The horse is outfitted with a bridle, saddle, and wide mudguards with intricate patterns. Additionally, it has double ribbons on its neck and designed ornamentations that are probably bells around its shoulders and breast.
    Because of frequent warfare in the north of ancient China, horses were in great demand during the Northern Dynasties. Consequently, people attached great importance to this domesticated animal. Stylistically, this pottery horse shows the merging of previous Han dynasty conventions and period innovations. For instance, the head is more slender and tapering than earlier designs, and the saddle and mudguards are more finely decorated. This dynamic figurine is full of artful ingenuity and is a classic example of period pottery horse figurines.