Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 6. (Budapest, 1963)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM - MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - F. Takáts, Zoltán: Some Notes to the Bronzes of the Chinese Collection II

Fig. 5. Decorative plate with spirals. Bronze. China, Han period The movement of the mule is masterly handled, the joints of its legs (knees) are lifelike. Among the marvellous Chinese silk fabrics discovered at Lou Lan by Sir Aurel Stein there is a fragment with unusually overstylised mountain ranges and between them, repeatedly represented, beasts and a barbarians on horseback

2 (Fig. 2). The animal is a thorough-bred Ferghana species, huge in proportion to the rider. We possess the same type of horseman in bronze (Fig. 3), presented to the museum by B. Hatvány, who purchased it at a sale in Cologne. It is no doubt coeval with the Han-period silks of Sir Aurel. This noble breed of horse was very highly appreciated by the Chinese. The well-known legation of Ch'ang Chien also tried to promote commercial relations with Ferghana, principally for the acquisition of those famous animals. Therefore it w

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as also fashionable to represent northern barbarians on the back of Ferghana horses and not on their tarpans, as we see on the battlescene at Hsiao T'ang Shan. The date of this representation is not yet fixed precisely. Formerly it was dated earlier than the Wu Liang Tz'u series. Its chronological relation to the Ch'ang Ch'ien expedition is not sure either, but its historical value cannot be denied

. The Lou Lan silk and our bronze figurine are artistical rather than ethno-