Provenance of Jade Horse Scene

The Manchurians that ruled the last dynasty in China were not ethnically Han in decent. They came from the north, in a territory that was customarily cold and largely nomadic in nature, heavily dependent on good horses. This area is now called Dalian. The Han and the Manchurians learned at an early stage in history of the value of horses in matters of warfare, communication, and travel. The horse has significant symbolism in Chinese culture. Being a free and wild animal domesticated for use by humans, it was admired widely for its loyalty, and noble spirit. It even earned a place among the heavens as part of the twelve divine stars, commonly found in the lunar zodiac. The Emperor and the aristocratic Mandarin often held beautiful horses in high esteem as if they were living treasures equal to any gold, and there are accounts of displaying or giving horses as gifts and presents to officials that have completed their duties with a great deal of excellence.

The jade sculpture, dating to late Ching Dynasty (around 1908), depicts eight wild horses ( eight being an auspicious number in Chinese numerology as it puns with the word for success ) in a dramatic group gallop, kicking up what appears to be cloud formations. The imagery harkens back to when horses raveled clustered in the wild. The sight of these majestic creatures must have inspired awe in the Chinese eyes. Commissioned by the Imperial Mandarins who worked for the Emperor himself, the jade horses were most likely a reminder to the raw energy that the Chinese jade now harnessed as their own. They were created by a family of Imperial artisans that are known by their surname Wong. Wong was in essence only a name the Emperor could have. The fact that there are so many Wongs in China is sometimes due to reverent imitation. This, however, is not the case with the Imperial artisan family Wong; they were given the honorary title by the Emperor himself as a gesture and sign of their hard endeavors; they were very well known as a distinct family of skilled craftsmen and theme, seem to have been influenced by some Western contact. This is not uncommon, as western influences and ideas reached China in large numbers during the late Ching Dynasty. The horses' manes and overall anatomical constructions are displayed in a manner that implies a degree of realism that China was opening up towards; previously horses were depicted in idealized curved forms. The material, which is native to the Dalian area, is a precious jade that is valued for its magical aura that is supposed to impart longevity to the Emperor's life. This sculpture, once displayed for the Imperial court, continued to please modern viewers at antique Expos in Dalian.

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