Bronze Horses of the Han Dynasty
3 min readIt was popular to use bronze sculptures to decorate palaces and imperial gardens in the Han Dynasty. According to historical documents, bronze dragons and phoenixes were used as decorations on gates and palace roofs at that time. In the Western Han Dynasty,a bronze dragon was placed on the gate of Chang’ an City,a bronze phoenix of 16m high was on the front gate of Jianzhang Palace, and bronze phoenixes were also on other buildings in Jianzhang Palace. Palaces in the Han Dynasty were ruined long before, and so people today have no chance to appreciate them. We can only imagine the grand, mythological and legendary palaces with bronze dragons and phoenixes flying around them.
Western Han. Gilded Bronze Horse 62cm high and 76cm long. Unearthed from Douma Village, Xingping, Shaanxi Province.
Kept in the Maoling Museum of Xingping. The harness and chariot decoration were excavated from the same pit.
In the Han Dynasty, there were many bronze horse sculptures. The selection and training of horses was emphasized in the Han Dynasty, and horses were considered as an important tool for the army and the state.
Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty (reigned 140-86 BC) sent armies to Dayuan twice. Dayuan state had anabundance of strong horses. Dongmen Jing, an expert in selecting good horses, once consecrated a horse method bronze statue modeled from horses from the Dayuan state. Emperor Wudi ordered the statue be placedoutside the Luban Gate of Weiyang Palace, giving an example of selecting good horses to the empire. In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, General Ma Yuan consecrated bronze horse statue to Emperor Guangwu(reigned25-58), who ordered to put it in front of Xuande Palace.
Eastem Han. Bronze Running Horse 34.5cm high and 45cm long. Unearthed from Leitai, Wuwei county, Gansu Province in 1969. Kept in Gansu Museum.
These bronze horses erected on palaces have since disappeared, but a lot of bronze horses were unearthedfrom nobles’ tombs from the Han Dynasty, such as the gilt bronze horse discovered from a nameless tomb of the Western Han in Xingping, Shaanxi, and a bronze running horse of the Eastern Han in Leitai, Wuwei, Gansu. The two bronze horses are quite delicate.
The gilt bronze horse is 62cm tall and 76cm long, in the standing pose. The neck is thin and long, legs are long and thick, and bones and muscles are well proportioned. The proportion of each part and the body structure is precise. The nose bridge is flat and the ears are like sharp bamboo. There’s a cone-shaped fleshy horn on the forehead between the ears. This testifies the legend that Dayuan horses have long fleshy horns.
Most bronze horses of the Han Dynasty unearthed in Fengliuling, Guixian County of Guangxi Province, Xushui of Hebei Province, and Hejiashan, Mianyang of Sichuan Province, are in running and whinnying, as if they are in the battle field.
A large group of bronze chariots and horses were discovered in a tomb of a general in late Eastern Han Dynasty, whose family name was Zhang, in Leitai, Wuwei, Gansu Province. Bronze chariots, horses and men were cast separately and then assembled and painted with colors.A bronze galloping horse, which seems unrelated to the other sculptures, is quite outstanding. The bronze sculpture is 34.5cm high. The horse is running, with one leg treading on a flying bird to maintain a stable center of gravity. The sculpture symbolizes it’s a free horse running under the blue sky and white cloud and it’s faster than a flying eagle. The horse’s posture is elegant. Its head slightly turns to the left and its tail floats in the air. The four hooves are alternating.
Although the gesture doesn’t comply with the actual actions of a running horse, it maintains a dynamic balance and perfect general appearance. The five sense organs and mane are outlined with ink. The eyeballs are black, teeth white, and edges of the eyelids, mouth and nostrils are red, because a swift horse’s “mouth is red and bright”.
