Statue of Saluzi and Qiu Xinggong

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This is a part of Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum, a relief masterpiece of the Tang Dynasty. It describes the scene that General Qiu Xinggong pulled out the arrow from the injured Saluzi (a battle horse for Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty) when the emperor waged a battle. The horse is plump and sturdy, which is very strong. General Qiu Xinggong is armored and powerful. The horse is calm and tamed, which expresses the trust in owner. The general takes serious facial expression, who shows sympathy for the horse. The deep love between man and horse is vividly proved.

Sculptures of the Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was the peak of development of feudal society in China. Sculptures of the Tang Dynasty marked the highest level of Chinese sculptures. The creation of sculptures of the Tang Dynasty boasts imagination and creativity. Religious sculptures, tomb sculptures and practical sculptures make great achievements.

Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum

In the initiation wars of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty rode six horses, namely, Saluzi, Quanmaogua, Telepiao, Qingzhui, Shifachi and Baitiwu. In order to remember them, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered court painters to paint them, and ordered craftsmen to make reliefs. He personally wrote the inscription as the ode. These reliefs were smaller than true horses, which were placed in front of Zhao Mausoleum for Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. They feature clear lines, vivid shape and different behaviors of horse. It is a pity that reliefs of Saluzi and Quanmaogua are stolen and transported overseas. Other four reliefs are kept in Shaanxi Museum.

Horse and man’s face

This is “Saluzi” among Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum, which was painted by Zhao Lingong (painter of the Jin Dynasty) based on stone carving of Zhao Mausoleum. From it, it can be seen that injured horse looks calm before the owner, which slightly opens the mouth to sigh. With trust in eyes, the horse is asking for help from the owner. Qiu Xinggong is near to the horse, and he cares about the horse with anxious eyes, who seems to say that “Don’t be afraid. I can pull the arrow out from your body.”

Relief

Relief refers to the embossing effect carved on the surface of object, which is a sculpture category ranging from painting and round carving. In terms of the elevation over object background, there are bass-relief and high relief.