On October 5, 1970, two large urns, containing more than one thousand splendid gold, silver, jade, crystal, agateglass wares, were unearthed at Hejiacun village 何家村 in the southern suburbs of Xian city. Among those treasures is a proof that dancing horses once existed.
National Treasure 国宝
Gold-decorated Silver Kettle with the Pattern of a Dancing Horse 鎏金舞马衔杯纹银壶
Silver | Tang dynasty (618-907) | Dimensions – H: 14.3cm, D: 8.9cm, 547g | Shaanxi History Museum, Unearthed from Hejiacun Village, 1970. 银｜唐 (公元618年-907年)｜高14.3厘米，底径8.9厘米，重547克｜陕西历史博物馆，1970年陕西西安南郊何家村出土
鎏金舞马衔杯纹银壶
China’s first batch of cultural relics prohibited from being exhibited abroad. The Gold-decorated Silver Kettle with the Pattern of a Dancing Horse was unearthed at the Chinese Village of Hejia in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province in 1970. It is the first of its kind that has ever been found among the gold and silver vessels of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and representative of the Khitan culture, which was a tribe of herdsmen that offered the special pot to Emperor Xuanzong (712-756) in the Tang Dynasty.
The kettle is 18.5 cm in height and was made of silver. The spout of this pot is covered with a gilt lid and is held in place by a chain attached to the gilt handle. Stirrup pots derive their shape from leather bags used by the nomadic horse people to the north. Different materials, including leather, wood, earthenware, china, porcelain, and silver, have been used to fabricate pots. They were mainly carried on horseback or used in households. They have been found containing remnants of milk, wine, and water. Many of these kettles have been excavated from tombs of the period.
This kettle has a decorative design of a horse with a ribbon around its neck and its tail flowing in the air. The horse holds a drinking cup in its mouth — an allusion to poetry from the period describing the “dancing horses.” Dancing horses often performed at court. Without riders, they performed maneuvers to music. It is said that during the performance, they were given wine to drink in cups that they picked up and tilted into their mouths. Emperor Xuanzong had celebrated dancing horses. On his birthday, 100 horses were covered in rich embroideries fringed with gold and silver, their manes studded with precious stones. They danced in two troupes, with their heads tossing and tails beating to the music. They also stood on three-tiered benches as athletes lifted the benches into the air. Guards in golden armor, foreign acrobats, performing elephants, and palace girls playing the “thunder drums” joined the performance.
The grand scenes of the emperor’s birthday celebration party shown on the kettle expresses fully the Chinese culture as well as something of an exotic atmosphere. It was really an outstanding piece of workmanship from the Tang Dynasty and of great unique value to Chinese culture. This is truly a treasure worth collecting.
1970年陕西西安南郊何家村出土的唐代著名银器。这个银制的壶造型特别别致，虽然是金属器具，但它的外形好似牛皮做的水囊。壶身的两侧用模压的方式压出了两匹衔杯匐拜的舞马，十分的生动形象。去历史记载，当年唐玄宗十分喜爱舞马，甚至在宫中驯养了好几百匹，每当八月五日唐玄宗的生日，这些舞马就会为唐玄宗表演节目庆祝生辰，壶身的这两笔，嘴里衔着酒杯的骏马，就是在描述，当时唐玄宗生日舞马的场景。“屈膝衔杯赴节，倾心献寿无疆”、“衔杯终宴曲，垂头掉尾醉如泥”这些都是唐代文人为当时的盛况做的诗词。现在这尊鎏金舞马衔杯纹银壶存放在陕西历史博物馆，有兴趣的小伙伴可以前去参观。
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
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