Copper Galloping Horse
2 min readCopper Galloping Horse is also known as “Horse Stepping on Flying Swallow” and “Horse Stepping on Skylark”, which is a treasure among the sculptures of the Han Dynasty. It expresses the imagination for a heavenly steed soaring across the skies, and shows romantic charms. This artwork portrays a neighing horse which features strong body, raised head, jumping feet and one foot stepping on flying skylark. The bird spreads wings, turns its head, and sets off the speed and vitality of the horse. The horse is extremely dynamic. The whole body is placed on a little supporting point, with top-level artistic concept.
Chinese Tourism Logo
The beautiful “Horse Stepping on Flying Swallow” not only demonstrates the artistic charms in terms of tension, rhythm and speed, but also has profound connotation of traditional Chinese culture. In 1983, National Tourism Administration decided to adopt “Horse Stepping on Flying Swallow” as Chinese Tourism Logo.
The origin of the name of “Horse Stepping on Flying Swallow”
In 1969, Copper Galloping Horse was unearthed from ancient tomb in Leitai, Wuwei County, Gansu . Tomb owners are a general surnamed Zhang ( who garrisoned in Zhangye in the Eastern Han Dynasty) and his wife. This refined sculpture had no definite name for a long time. In September 1971, when Guo Moruo accompanied foreign guests tovisit ansu Museum, they saw this treasure and called it “Horse Stepping on Flying Swallow”. They commented that “a heavenly steed soars across the skies and lives an independent life. It is really a world-class masterpiece!”
Ingenious Combination of Horse Foot and Flying Bird
Gravity center of horse body is on a foot so that the horse is galloping in the sky, which steps on a skylark turning its head with scare. Due to smart support from skylark, horse foot is lengthened to the central location under horse. Flat lower part of skylark enlarges the supporting area of horse foot. Flat lower part of skylark cleverly settles the problem of sculpture place.
Horse sculptures of the Han Dynasty
Horse is an important theme in plastic arts of the Han Dynasty. In the Han Dynasty, horse sculptures were made of various materials, such as cast cooper, wood carving, potteryware, stone engraving, etc. Such artworks played many functions such as furnishing, funeral object and building decoration. Horse sculptures, created in the Han Dynasty, reach high artistic level of plastic arts, which often strengthen horse features based on realistic portray and focus on continuity of lines and roundness of surface. Horse head is square and round at different angles, which takes elegant and masculine style.
