A horse - tomb figure

Chinese tomb figurines, called mingqi, were the original creation of pottery during the Tang era (618–906). They are related to the Chinese ancestor cult, which required family members of the deceased to equip his grave with everything he needed during his lifetime. These figures were prepared exclusively for funeral needs. These figurines were supposed to accompany the deceased in the afterlife. For this purpose, terracotta sculptures were made and fired at low temperatures, often using three-color sancai glaze (three colors). The glazing technique most likely came to China via the Silk Road from the Middle East. Although most of the figurines were shaped using ready-made molds, the figure was hand-finished by a craftsman who, thanks to the details, gave it an original, individual character. Only in exceptional cases of burials of representatives of the aristocracy were completely new figures created. In the martial art of the Tang Dynasty, horses played a decisive role. Mounts imported by the Chinese from the Ferghana Valley in Bactria were particularly valued. The magnificent horses of Ferghana were not only a symbol of their owner's status, but also of power and happiness. Therefore, they were important equipment in tombs. The figure of a horse from the collection of the District Museum in Toruń shows a saddled horse with its head and neck bent in an arc. The horse's mane is made of gracefully falling locks. The tail is tied up and there is a saddle with a saddle cloth on the back.