Tang Dynasty, 618-907 AD. A beautiful ceramic equestrian figurine of an advancing horse and a warrior; the horse with its neck gracefully arched, pricked ears and open mouth, moulded saddle with sheepskin, the tail bound with a ribbon, painted detailing and harness to the head and body; the rider with an aggressive expression and raised arms, wearing a beast-skin cap with painted red eyes and fangs, dressed in padded green riding coat with separate red pauldrons, red trousers and black riding boots. See Greer, J.P., The armies and enemies of the ancient China, 1027BC-1286 AD, Los Angeles, 1975; Ranitzsch, K.H., The army of Tang China, Stockport, 1995, fig.40, p.31 and pl.E; Congyun, L., Yang, Y., Gushan, Z., Imperial Tombs of China, Orlando, 1995; Perry, C., Imperial Chinese Armies (2), 590-1260 AD, London, 1996. 7.6 kg, 54cm (21 1/4"). From a West Country, UK, collection; formerly with a Bath, UK, gallery, 1990s; accompanied by a positive Kotalla Laboratory thermoluminescence report no.32CM180321, and by an academic expertise by military specialist Dr. Raffaele D’Amato; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10811-178529. The Tang saddle was constructed over a solid wooden frame. It was usually covered by a round or rectangular saddle cloth, and the distinctive leather straps dangling from the side of the crupper seems to confirm that the warrior is of the Elite Tang army. Among the various units of the imperial army, beside the heavy armoured cavalrymen of the General Li Shih-min (later Emperor T’ai Sung), there was the elite unarmoured cavalry of the ‘Flying Horse’. Light cavalrymen provided scouts and skirmishers for the Tang army, usually armed with a long sabre, bow and arrow. The horses they rode had their tails tied with ribbons (like in our specimen) and the saddle flaps had protectors against mud.