Torr Antiques & Decorative Arts

Description

This is a wonderfully tactile set of six Chinese horses expertly carved from soapstone dating to the late 19th century to early 20th century. Each horse is involved in a different action with the result that each has its own unique character.

They represent 6 of the eight horses of King (Wang) Mu who pulled the Emperor's chariot as he progressed about his realm in search of heavenly paradise and taste the peaches of immortality. The Eight Horses of Wang Mu became a popular subject among later poets and artists and a symbol for the vehicle or journeys of any emperor.

Each horse was reputedly named according to its special ability. One could gallop without touching the ground while another could run faster than flying birds. One horse could run especially fast at night and another horse could run as fast as the shadow of the sun. There was an especially well-groomed horse with a splendid mane and a horse that could run so fast that you could see a row of ten images. Another rode on a cloud and the last had wings.

Eventually, the horses grew old and on retirement, they were put out into the greenest of the emperor’s meadows to graze until their end of days. This is symbolized by the horse on its back, representing liberation from the harness.

Dimensions: Width 8cm - Depth 3cm - Height (max) 6.5cm

Condition: The horses are in good condition - just one has a small chip (on the lower jaw of the final horse shown). They would originally have had glass eyes but these have all been lost with the exception of two horses, of which one retains both eyes while the other has only one.

Please contact us if you would like to see a close up of the sixth horse and additional photographs of the others.

Postage & Packing: £7.50 within the UK. Please contact us if you wish to have them posted overseas.