The overextension of the labor force
during the Qin Dynasty would result in a
popular uprising against the empire. In
206 B.C., Liu Bang, a Qin official, led
an army composed of peasants and some
lower nobility to victory and
established his own Dynasty in place,
the Han. However, unlike the Qin, the
Han would unify China and rule virtually
uncontested for over four hundred years.
It is during this time that much of what
is now considered to be Chinese culture
was first actualized. The bureaucracy
started under the Qin was now firmly
established. The vast lands of China
were now under the firm grip of a
central authority. Confucianism became
the state ideology although the worship
of Taoist deity remained widespread,
both among the peasants and the
aristocracy. Ancient histories and
texts were analyzed and rewritten to be
more objective while new legendary myths
and cultural epics were transcribed.
The Han era can also be characterized as
one of the greatest artistic outpourings
in Chinese history, easily on par with
the glories of their Western
contemporaries, Greece and Rome. Wealth
pouring into China from trade along the
Silk Road initiated a period of
unprecedented luxury. Stunning bronze
vessels were created, decorated with
elegant inlaid gold and silver motifs.
Jade carvings reached a new level of
technical brilliance. But perhaps the
artistic revival of the Han Dynasty is
nowhere better represented than in their
sculptures and vessels that were
interred with deceased nobles. Called
mingqi, literally meaning “spirit
articles,” these works depicted a vast
array of subject, from warriors and
horses to ovens and livestock, which
were buried alongside the dead for use
in the next world, reflecting the
Chinese belief that the afterlife was an
extension of our earthy existence.
Thus, quite logically, the things we
require to sustain and nurture our
bodies in this life would be just as
necessary in our next life.
Expressively modeled in a firm pose
standing at attention with tail erect,
this horse of the Han Dynasty depicts
the power and grace of the new breed of
horse from the west known as the
"Heavenly Horse of China." This horse is
caparisoned with an arrangement of
ornamental harnesses and decorative
bridal. Its mouth is held slightly ajar,
teeth showing, and with upright ears and
flared nostrils combine to imbue this
work with the spirit of the steed.
While the size and beauty of this horse
are enough alone to impress, even more
stunning is the complete carriage that
this horse hauls behind him, comprised
of two delicately modeled wheels, an
axel rod, the carriage, and the neck
yoke and poles.
Considering that this sculpture was
discovered buried in a tomb alongside
the deceased, we can assume that the
individual for who this work was created
was likely carried by horse and carriage
during his life as he would continue to
be in the afterlife, thanks to this
terracotta effigy. It is fascinating to
think that this device, a horse drawn
carriage, here over two-thousand years
old, continued to be the major means of
transportation up until the 20th
century; in some parts of the world,
they still are. During the reign of
Emperor Wu, in order to improve the
breed of horses in central China and
strengthen the cavalry, the so-called
"heavenly horse" was imported from the
western region (present-day Middle
East). Most horse sculptures found in
Han Dynasty tombs portray horses with
great strength and vigor. The way the
horse is depicted speaks of the great
love the Chinese have for the mythology
and form of the horse. This horse is an
expression of that affection.
