16-Inch Tang Sancai Horse Statue — Handmade Tang Dynasty Tri-Colour Ceramic

This is the piece people mean when they say “the Tang horse.” Standing about 16 inches — 42 cm — it is large enough to hold a shelf, a mantel or a reception room, and quiet enough to read as a piece of history rather than decoration. Every one is hand-built in Luoyang, glazed in the classic three-colour palette, fired twice, then numbered and signed before it leaves the workshop.

A finished 16-inch Tang Sancai horse in the classic three-colour glaze — The 16-inch Tang horse — the form below is the same model glazed four ways.

16 inch / 42 cmMeasured height, so it reads as a centrepiece rather than a shelf ornament.

Twice firedBiscuit firing, then a second firing for the glaze — the reason the colours run the way they do.

Numbered & signedEach piece carries its own number and ships with a certificate of authenticity.

Four glazes, one form

The model is the same; the glaze is what changes. Black is the most formal, amber the most traditional, ivory the quietest, brown the warmest under lamplight. If you are buying as a gift, black and amber are the two most often chosen.

Tang Tri-colour Horse — Black · 16 inch $50016-inch · handmade

Tang Tri-colour Horse — Ivory · 16 inch $50016-inch · handmade

Tang Tri-colour Horse — Amber · 16 inch $50016-inch · handmade

Tang Tri-colour Horse — Brown · 16 inch $50016-inch · handmade

All duties & taxes included — the price you see is the price you pay at the door. Each piece is built to order, so allow for making time before it ships.

Size, before you buy

Sixteen inches sounds modest on paper and reads considerably larger in a room. On a bookshelf it clears the shelf above; on a mantel or a console it holds the middle of the room without a plinth. Use the numbers below against the space you have in mind.

The 16-inch Tang Sancai horse shown at full height — About 42 cm at the ear — the height of a hardback book standing on end, twice over.

A Tang Sancai horse being modelled by hand in the workshop — Every horse is modelled by hand, so the stance and the head carry the maker's hand — no two are identical.

Height	16.5 in · about 42 cm
Length	15.7 in · about 40 cm
Width	6.7 in · about 17 cm
Weight	about 6.6 kg (15 kg packed)
Material	Tang Sancai tri-colour glazed ceramic
Finish	Black · Ivory · Amber · Brown
Origin	Handmade in Luoyang, China

How it is made

Tang Sancai — “three-colour” — is a lead-glazed pottery that reached its height in the Tang dynasty. The piece is modelled by hand, dried, fired as biscuit, then glazed and fired again; it is in that second firing that amber, green and cream run into each other. Nothing about the result is mechanical, which is also why no two horses are the same.

Glaze being applied to a Tang Sancai piece by hand — Glazing

Biscuit-fired Tang Sancai pieces unloaded from the kiln — Biscuit firing

An unglazed Tang Sancai model inspected on the workbench — Inspection before glaze

What arrives with it

The horse itself, numbered and signed on the base.
A printed certificate of authenticity with the piece's number.
Foam-in-place packing built for a 15 kg ceramic shipment.
Tracking from dispatch, and all duties & taxes settled by us before delivery.

A gift that carries the year

The horse is the most collected form in Tang Sancai — it stood for reach, stamina and status in the Tang court, and it still reads that way in a room. If you are buying for a housewarming, a retirement, or for someone with Chinese heritage, this is the piece that does not need explaining.

All duties & taxes are paid by us. No extra charges on delivery. Pieces are made to order — if you need one by a particular date, tell us before you order.

See the full glazed horse collection · Ask about a commission or a delivery date