Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 29 May 2002, based on sample number C102g69, sets the firing date of all three samples taken between 1300 and 2000 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.

China, 25-220 AD. Powerfully modeled and captured mid-stride, the figure advances with poised authority on finely articulated legs. The head is lifted, ears sharply pricked in alert animation, while the parted lips of the pronounced muzzle reveal formidable teeth beneath subtly arched brows and commanding eyes. A neatly bound tail completes the composition, heightening the work's taut energy and sculptural presence.

Provenance: From an old private collection in Lyon, France, acquired in 2002 and thence by descent in the family.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear, firing irregularities, old repairs and touchups as generally expected from authentic Han dynasty excavations. Small holes from sample-taking, now filled. Presenting magnificently.

Weight: 22.4 kg
Dimensions: Length 73.5 cm, Height 101.5 cm

Expert's note:
Large horses of this type have been found in a number of tombs within the Han empire. Among the most famous are those from the graves of the well-known Han dynasty minister Zhou Bo and his son excavated at Yangjiawan, Xianyang, Shaanxi province, see Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Quest for Eternity, Thames and Hudson, 1987, Catalogue, nos. 11-15. The well-sculpted head, flaring nostrils and upwardly-curling top lip are characteristic of these Han horses, typified by the large bronze horse excavated at Hejiashan, Jinyang, Sichuan province and recorded in Wenwu, 1991, no. 3, page 9, pl. iii.

Large prancing horses like the present lot bear relation to the famous group of large bronze 'flying horses' excavated in Gansu in 1969, see W. Watson, The Genius of China, London, 1973, Catalogue no. 222, where it is stated that this breed of tall horse was introduced from Central Asia at the beginning of the first century BC.

Literature comparison
Compare a closely related Sichuan pottery horse, dated to the Eastern Han dynasty, 106 cm high, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 98.19.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 10 July 2006, lot 72
Price: GBP 21,600 or approx. EUR 43,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine large unglazed pottery figure of a prancing horse, Han Dynasty, from Sichuan Province
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and subject with similar pose and treatment of the head. Note the size (125 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 16 December 2008, lot 6
Price: EUR 23,750 or approx. EUR 30,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A massive Chinese Sichuan painted grey pottery figure of a horse, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and subject with similar treatment of the head. Note the size (110 cm) and different pose.