Pair of Chinese Sancai Glazed Tang Style Pottery. Horse Sculpture. Depicts two horses side by side, one eating from a trough and the other drinking from a basin.

Size: 8 1/2 X 5 X 7 in.

#5345 .

Chinese ceramics are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. Archaeological evidence shows their presence since pre-dynastic times, beginning in the Paleolithic era. Porcelain was a Chinese invention and is so identified with China that it is still called “china” in everyday English usage. Most later Chinese ceramics, even of the finest quality, were made on an industrial scale, thus few names of individual potters were recorded. Many of the most important kiln workshops were owned by or reserved for the emperor, and large quantities of porcelain were exported as diplomatic gifts or for trade from an early date, initially to East Asia and the Islamic world and then Europe by the 16th Century. Chinese ceramics have had an enormous influence on other ceramic traditions in these areas. Increasingly over their long history, Chinese ceramics can be classified between those made for the imperial court to use or distribute, those made for a discriminating Chinese market, and those for popular Chinese markets or for export. Some types of wares were also made only or mainly for special uses such as burial in tombs, or for use on altars. The horses are likely Balikun, a light breed descended from Mongolian horses that are extremely hearty and muscular and used regularly for riding, draft, and pack work.