The museum scene in China has been quite busy recently. First there was the 100th anniversary of the Palace Museum. Then there’s the Song painting scandal in Nanjing Museum. And 2026 started with the Tang horse falling down in its display case.
Painted Pottery Horse Inlaid With Gold 彩绘贴金陶马
Pottery | Tang Dynasty (618–907) | Excavated from Yanshi in Laoyang on April 1988 | Luoyang Museum Collection. 陶器｜唐代（公元618年-907年）｜1988年4月𠍾师市政府招待所出土｜洛阳博物馆藏
This type of horse with one foreleg raised is thought to be modelled after dancing horses which were kept for entertainment at the Tang court during the emperor Xuanzong’s reign (A.D. 712–756).1 What was unique about this particular pottery horse was the inlaid gold fragments.
Dancing horses, trained to perform at the emperor’s birthday celebrations, were treated well in the Tang Dynasty. They had snow-white hair and were covered in brocade. Glittering bells hung around their necks. Pearls and jade decorated their mane. All these accentuated their splendour and grace. Many such pottery horses were excavated in Tang dynasty tombs.
According to the statement issued by the museum, at about 18:00 on 1 Jan 2026, the horse fell over due to the ageing and cracking of the adhesive of the restoration repair work done previously. The museum immediately launched “the emergency plan”. At present, it has been transferred to the restoration centre for protective storage, pending professional repair.2
While it was unfortunate that the horse was broken, it is not an important artefact, at least not in the Luoyang Museum context, which houses a lot of Sui-Tang pottery collection.
The horse was exhibited towards the end of the pottery collection in the museum amongst many other Sui-Tang dynasties artefacts. Many are more exquisite and better preserved.
Glazed Pottery Equestrian 釉陶骑马俑
Pottery | Tang Dynasty (618–907) | Excavated from Luoyang Industrial Park in 2000 | Luoyang Museum Collection. 陶器｜唐代（公元618年-907年）｜200年洛阳工业园区冠奇公司出土｜洛阳博物馆藏
Tang people loved their horses, and everyday activities with their horses were depicted in ceramic, pottery, tomb murals, etc. China is home to mulberry trees and was the first country to produce silk, which was rare and luxurious in ancient times. The trade route between China and Europe was therefore known as the “Silk Road”. And with the Silk Road came foreign cultures and good, like these foreign bred horses.
Painted Pottery Prancing Horse 抬腿陶马
Pottery | Tang Dynasty (618–907) | Turned over by Luoyang Culture and Education office in 2001 | Luoyang Museum Collection. 陶器｜唐代（公元618年-907年）｜2001年洛阳文教局拨交｜洛阳博物馆藏
These painted horses with the lifting legs could be part of a dancing horse and trainer pair that were very popular during the High Tang period. There was only one pair found together so far, also exhibited in Luoyang Museum.
All photo taken at Luoyang Museum Mar 2024, unless otherwise indicated.
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 :
- Early Chinese Ceramics: An American Private Collection
March 28 – April 16, 2005.
According to the Minghuang zalu (Miscellaneous records of Emperor Minghuang), emperor Xuanzong kept four hundred horses which were specially trained to dance to music. These special breeds of horses from Ferghana and other regions of Central Asia were one of the most sought-after luxuries imported into China on the ‘Silk Road’ during the Sui and early Tang periods and, as emblems of power and wealth, models of these famous horses such as this example, were an essential part of the furnishing of any important tomb. https://www.jjlally.com/exhibitions/early-chinese-ceramics-an-american-private-collection/a-glazed-and-painted-pottery-figure-of-a-prancing-horse/description/, accessed 4 January 2026 ↩︎ - 唐代彩绘贴金陶马碎了？洛阳博物馆发布情况说明
2026-01-02 17:17 来源：南方网·粤学习.
1月2日，洛阳博物馆针对此事发布情况说明称，1月1日18时许，基本陈列展厅内的“彩绘抬腿陶马”因原始修复部位粘接剂老化开裂发生倾倒，博物馆第一时间启动应急预案，目前已将其转移至修复中心进行保护性存放，待后续进行专业修复。, 南方网、粤学习记者 倪仕轩. https://news.southcn.com/node_08203b6b14/3fedeef7ad.shtml, accessed 4 January 2026 ↩︎
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