Figure of a Horse
CultureChinese
Date3rd century B.C.E.
MediumBronze
DimensionsOverall: 8 1/4 × 10 1/2 inches (20.96 × 26.67 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number32-185/7 A
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 232
Collections
DescriptionOne of a pair of standing horse figures.Gallery LabelThe long torso and stocky proportions of these horses are typical of the East Asian steppes and are clearly distinct from the taller Central Asian breeds represented by ceramic figures. Horses had been used for drawing chariots since the Shang dynasty, but it was only in the fourth century b.c.e. that they began to be used for cavalry on a significant scale, in response to the threat posed by mounted nomads.
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