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Prancing Horse: C.592-1991

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Current Location: In storage

Titles

Prancing Horse

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Figure of a prancing horse. Buff earthenware, covered in white slip or paint, traces of red and brown cold pigment and black inked details. The horse has a raised right foreleg, flared nostrils and open mouth, and tail flowing behind. There are traces of red pigment on the mouth and darker red/brown pigment visible on the head and parts of the body. The long mane falls to the near side of the elegantly arched neck, and a draped saddle set on the saddle-cloth is set on its back. Decorations adorn the horse's body, three each side on the back, and three under the neck; these decorations show traces of red pigment on a pale slip, covering the grey body. There are traces of black inked line on the harness, from which ornaments are hung.

Notes

History note: Purchased from Sotheby's, 10th December 1933, by Henry Scipio Reitlinger (d. 1950) for £11.0s.0d; the Reitlinger Trust, Maidenhead, from which transferred in 1991.

Legal notes

Bequeathed by H.S. Reitlinger, 1950; transferred from the Reitlinger Trust, 1991.

Measurements and weight

Depth: 57.8 cm
Height: 50.9 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1950) by Reitlinger, Henry Scipio

Dating

Tang Dynasty (618-907)
8th Century
Circa 700 - 800

Components of the work

Decoration composed of slip ( white) black ink cold paint brown pigment red pigment

Materials used in production

Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Moulding : Earthenware, moulded in relief

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.592-1991
Primary reference Number: 20970
Old object number: CHICER/267

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 22 April 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Prancing Horse" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/20970 Accessed: 2025-12-05 09:32:30

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/20970 |title=Prancing Horse |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 09:32:30|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-20970

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<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa8/C_592_1991_281_29.jpg"
        alt="Prancing Horse"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Prancing Horse</figcaption>
    </figure>
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