“龙种神驹，四蹄踏雪” – This black-glazed horse looks strong and vigorous. It represents the affirmative and energetic spirit of the Tang dynasty.
Tri-Coloured Black-Glazed Pottery Horse 三彩黑釉马
Pottery | Tang dynasty (618-907) | Dimension – H: 73cm | Luoyang Museum Collection, Unearthed from Anpu tomb of the Tang dynasty at Longmen in 1981. 陶器｜唐（公元618-907年）｜高73厘米｜洛阳博物馆藏，1981年洛阳市龙门安菩墓出土
Horses were very important in ancient China whether it is military affairs or agriculture or transportation, etc. They were tamed widely during the Tang dynasty, and during this period especially horses were cross-bred between the Arabian thoroughbreds with local breed. Emperor Xuanzong 唐玄宗 (r. 712-756) loved his horses that he once commanded his court artist to draw them into a painting.
This black glazed horse was unearthed in the tomb of An Pu 安菩 and his wife, both were Sogdian that were living in Chang’an during the Tang dynasty.1 An Bo was born in a small country called “Anguo” 安国 in Central Asia. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, he submitted to the Tang Dynasty and was awarded the title of General Dingyuan for his military merits. However, An Pu’s own achievements alone may not be enough to have rare burial goods such as the black glazed horse.
The key is that he has a good son. His son An Jinzang 安金藏 vouched that the prince at that time, the later Tang Emperor Ruizong Li Dan 唐睿宗李旦, did not plot a rebellion and was spared the death sentence by Empress Wu Zetian during the reign of Wu Zhou. He won the trust of both Emperors Ruizong and Xuanzong. Finally, he became the General of the Right Xiaowei 右骁卫将军 (equivalent to a 3 star general) and was awarded the title of Duke.
Black glaze on Sancai is achieved through multiple layers of glaze as the colour black is not naturally occurring in pigments. It is considered an “accidental” colour, as the result is not guaranteed, and hence the rainy and value of black Sancai fetches. There are only two of such black Sancai horses that are in existence, one’s here in Luoyang Museum, and the other is at China National Museum.
The wanderer’s soul is exhausted, and his foreign journey has ended. I don’t know if this black glazed horse can take the soul of the tomb owners back to their hometown.
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.
Footnotes:
- 这件黑釉马出土于一对“唐漂”粟特人-安菩夫妇的墓葬。安菩出生于西域一个名为“安国”的小国，太宗时归顺唐朝，凭战功得封定远将军。不过单凭安菩本人的功业可能还不足以有像黑釉马这样的珍稀陪葬品，关键是他有个好儿子。他的儿子安金藏在武周时“剖心哭谏”力保当时的太子、后来的唐睿宗李旦没有谋反，所以在睿宗、玄宗两朝都深得帝心，最后官至右骁卫将军，封代国公。http://mbd.baidu.com/newspage/data/dtlandingsuper?nid=dt_4554586503705496586 ↩︎
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