CURLY AND AUTUMN DEW
Tang Horses
Of the thousands of horses who aided the Emperor in his quest for land and military supremacy only six were chosen to be enshrined at his Mausoleum. Not only did each horse have its own name and unique set of attributes, they each received a laudatory poem composed by the Emperor himself. Their exploits come down to us through written accounts of the battles in which they played a defining role.
The horse seen here on the left is named Autumn Dew, sometimes translated as Whirlwind Victory. Historical records say he was ridden in battle by the emperor during a great siege, when, after being stuck with an arrow, the emperor was forced to dismount and switch horses with one of his favorite Generals. The General is shown here pulling the arrow out of Autumn Dew’s chest while the horse stoically bears the pain. The poem for the horse reads:
It was as restless as a purple swallow,
It pranced with its high spirits;
It was feared along the region of the three rivers;
It struck awe into the enemy on all battlefields.
The horse on the right is named Curly. Portrayed in paintings with a wavy coat of saffron-yellow hair, he was instrumental in suppressing a dangerous uprising. Although there are nine arrows, six in the front and three in the back sticking out of his body, the horse is shown walking briskly and with a spirit that defies his wounds. The poem written for the animal has an esoteric quality, drawing on elements of Chinese lore and astrology:
The Moon Rabbit grabbed the bridle,
The stars of Scorpio crossed the heavens in their course,
The Dog Star announced the halt,
The dusty mist brought the end.
The horses of Emperor Taizong in the Penn Museum’s collection occupy a unique position in Chinese art and sculptural history. They not only serve as a monumental record of famous Chinese historical events; they also signal a break with the more stylized depictions of animals that flanked Chinese tombs, examples of which occur elsewhere in the Rotunda. Thanks to recent conservation efforts, they will continue to be cherished by visitors everywhere.
Credit for poems: John C. Ferguson, “The Six Horses at the Tomb of the Emperor T’ai Tsung of The T’ang Dynasty”, in Eastern Art, vol. 3 (1931), pp. 61-72.
The horse seen here on the left is named Autumn Dew, sometimes translated as Whirlwind Victory. Historical records say he was ridden in battle by the emperor during a great siege, when, after being stuck with an arrow, the emperor was forced to dismount and switch horses with one of his favorite Generals. The General is shown here pulling the arrow out of Autumn Dew’s chest while the horse stoically bears the pain. The poem for the horse reads:
It was as restless as a purple swallow,
It pranced with its high spirits;
It was feared along the region of the three rivers;
It struck awe into the enemy on all battlefields.
The horse on the right is named Curly. Portrayed in paintings with a wavy coat of saffron-yellow hair, he was instrumental in suppressing a dangerous uprising. Although there are nine arrows, six in the front and three in the back sticking out of his body, the horse is shown walking briskly and with a spirit that defies his wounds. The poem written for the animal has an esoteric quality, drawing on elements of Chinese lore and astrology:
The Moon Rabbit grabbed the bridle,
The stars of Scorpio crossed the heavens in their course,
The Dog Star announced the halt,
The dusty mist brought the end.
The horses of Emperor Taizong in the Penn Museum’s collection occupy a unique position in Chinese art and sculptural history. They not only serve as a monumental record of famous Chinese historical events; they also signal a break with the more stylized depictions of animals that flanked Chinese tombs, examples of which occur elsewhere in the Rotunda. Thanks to recent conservation efforts, they will continue to be cherished by visitors everywhere.
Credit for poems: John C. Ferguson, “The Six Horses at the Tomb of the Emperor T’ai Tsung of The T’ang Dynasty”, in Eastern Art, vol. 3 (1931), pp. 61-72.
