Preliminary identification
Photo reference
4 uploaded photos
Overview
An expressive lead-glazed earthenware tomb figure depicting a male rider atop a standing horse. The piece features the classic three-color (sancai) palette of green, amber, and cream glazes, combined with unglazed, cold-painted pigments on the rider's face and hat.
Story
Created to serve in the afterlife, figures like this were buried in grand tombs to ensure the deceased maintained their earthly status and comfort. This rider, wearing a traditional official's hat, was meant to accompany a soul through eternity.
Maker / Origin
These figures were produced by specialized ceramic workshops operating near major urban centers and imperial kilns. Rather than individual artists, they were crafted by highly skilled guild artisans who used molds to meet the high demand for funerary goods.
Condition & Value
The figure shows significant surface wear, soil encrustation, and loss to the cold-painted pigments on the rider's face and hat, which is typical for excavated items but also easily simulated. There is a visible crack or seam line around the horse's neck.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
Build on this identification
Layer in sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance.
Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.