Four horses

Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Each of these horses is carved from a single piece of wood. They are lacquered in black with highlights in bright red. The riders, each one also carved from a single woodblock, are not lacquered but painted, with pigment over white slip, now mostly lost after millennia of burial. They probably functioned as honor guards in a ceremonial procession, a typical element of Han tomb furnishings. It is notable that they were found at Mianyang, Sichuan Province, where the lacquer industry flourished during the Han dynasty.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

西汉木胎漆马四匹
Title: Four horses
Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Culture: China
Medium: Lacquer over wood
Dimensions: H. 27 3/16in. (69 cm); W. 6 11/16 in. (17 cm); L. 28 3/8 in. (72 cm)
H. 28 1/8 in. (71.5 cm): W. 6 5/16 in. (16 cm); L. 24 7/16 in. (62 cm)
H. 28 9/16 in. (72.5 cm); W. 8 11/16 in. (22 cm); L. 26 3/8 in. (67 cm)
H. 26 3/8 in. (67 cm); W. 8 1/16 in. (20.5 cm): L. 25 13/16 in. (65.5 cm)
Classification: Lacquer
Credit Line: Lent by Mianyang Museum
Curatorial Department: Asian Art