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預約參觀 / Gallery Visit

Email: midcolam.art@gmail.com / Instagram: lamsgallery_online / WeChat: midcolam1177

22/f, M Place, 54 Wong Chuk Hang Rd, Hong Kong

萬事昌集團大廈22樓，黃竹坑道54號，南區，香港

新聞 / News

2026.03.24

The Year of Horse Special Exhibition

馬年特別展覽

引言：馬年說馬

馬年說馬，古來中國人對馬的深情，從未止息。

自遠古以來，馬便在華夏文明中扮演關鍵角色。漢代伊始，馬已成為帝國疆域的象徵與擴張的利器。漢武帝為求大宛「汗血寶馬」，不惜遠征西域，開闢「馬匹之路」，以優良戰馬強化軍力，奠定絲綢之路的軍事與貿易基礎。馬，不僅是征戰的坐騎，更是國家武備的根本。

到了唐代，馬的重要性更達巔峰。唐帝國幅員遼闊、國力強盛，馬政制度完善至極，太僕寺、駕部、尚乘局等機構嚴密管理官馬，隴右、河西等天然牧場養馬達數十萬匹。馬不僅是軍事征伐的利器，更是維繫龐大帝國交通、傳驛與後勤的命脈；同時，馬球、舞馬等活動風靡朝野，成為貴族與百姓的共同熱情。唐太宗昭陵六駿以石刻永誌戰馬功勳，韓幹筆下駿馬更寄託盛唐昂揚氣象。馬，象徵力量、自由與帝國榮光，已從實用工具昇華為時代精神的化身。

在這盛唐氣象中，唐三彩馬成為最璀璨的藝術見證。這些低溫鉛釉陶塑，造型雄健生動、釉色絢麗斑斕，不僅反映唐人對馬的深厚情感，更體現中外文化交流的輝煌。其中，藍釉唐三彩馬尤為珍貴稀有。藍色的呈色劑——鈷料，需從波斯或西域進口，其價格在當時往往高於黃金，堪稱奢侈中的奢侈。唯有皇家與最高規格的器物，方能使用純藍釉。

最能印證這一點的，便是唐高宗與武則天之子李弘及其哀皇后恭陵出土的一批純藍釉器物。純正、深邃的藍釉，氣度非凡，明確顯示此類純藍是天子等級的專屬象徵。迄今存世的純藍釉唐三彩馬僅有五匹：中國內地僅有一匹，洛陽博物館藏品，卻非純藍（白斑）且尺寸較小（約37厘米）；其餘四匹皆為大型精品，高度在50厘米以上，分別收藏於美國明尼阿波利斯博物館、波士頓博物館、歐洲私人收藏與香港松隱閣。這些稀世珍品，不僅見證了唐代陶瓷工藝的巔峰，更承載著盛唐帝國的華貴與自信。

值此馬年，讓我們借唐三彩藍釉馬的絢爛藍光，重溫那個萬馬奔騰、氣吞山河的時代……

Year of Horse Special Article Series

Part I – Tang Sancai Pure Blue-Glazed Pottery Horse

The Chinese people’s profound affinity for the horse has been uninterrupted since ancient times.

From the earliest periods of Chinese civilization, the horse occupied a central position. Beginning in the Han dynasty, it emerged as both a potent symbol of imperial expansion and a critical instrument of territorial consolidation. Emperor Wu of Han, driven by the pursuit of the renowned “heavenly horses” of Dayuan (Ferghana), launched expeditions into the Western Regions, thereby establishing the “Horse Route” that laid the military and commercial groundwork for the Silk Road through the acquisition of superior equine stock. The horse was far more than a mount for warfare; it constituted the foundational element of state military preparedness.

During the Tang dynasty, the significance of the horse attained its historical apex. The empire’s vast territory and unparalleled prosperity were supported by a highly sophisticated horse administration system. Institutions including the Taipu Si (Court of the Imperial Stud), Jia Bu (Bureau of Chariots and Horses), and Shangsheng Ju (Office of Imperial Equines) exercised rigorous oversight of state horses, while the natural pastures of Longyou and Hexi sustained herds numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Beyond its military utility in conquest and defense, the horse served as the essential lifeline for transportation, postal relay systems, and logistical networks across the expansive realm. Concurrently, equestrian pursuits such as polo and performing “dancing horses” gained widespread popularity at court and among the populace. Emperor Taizong’s Six Steeds of Zhaoling were immortalized in stone relief to commemorate the contributions of his warhorses, while the equine subjects rendered by the painter Han Gan epitomized the vigorous ethos of the High Tang. The horse thus transcended its practical functions to embody strength, freedom, and the glory of empire—becoming a quintessential expression of the era’s spirit.

It is against this backdrop of High Tang magnificence that Tang sancai horse figurines emerge as the most luminous artistic testimony. These low-fired, lead-glazed earthenware sculptures, characterized by their robust modeling and vibrant polychrome glazes, not only reflect the Tang elite’s deep emotional attachment to the horse but also attest to the dynamic cultural exchanges between China and the wider Eurasian world. Among the various sancai types, those featuring pure blue glaze stand as particularly rare and prestigious. The cobalt pigment essential for achieving a true blue hue had to be imported from Persia or the Western Regions at exorbitant cost—often surpassing that of gold—rendering pure blue glaze an ultimate luxury reserved exclusively for imperial and highest-echelon commissions.

This imperial exclusivity is most emphatically demonstrated by the group of pure blue-glazed vessels excavated from the Gongling Mausoleum of Li Hong (Crown Prince, son of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian) and his consort, posthumously honored as the Grieving Empress (Ai Huanghou). The deep, resonant blue glaze of these objects, executed with exceptional refinement, unequivocally designates pure blue as a marker of sovereign rank.

To the present day, only five examples of pure blue-glazed Tang sancai horses are documented worldwide. Within mainland China, a single specimen is preserved in the Luoyang Museum; however, it features white spotting rather than pure blue and measures a modest 37 cm in height. The remaining four are all large-scale masterpieces exceeding 50 cm in height, currently held respectively by the Minneapolis Institute of Art (USA), the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (USA), a European private collection, and the Songyin Hall collection (Lam’s Gallery by Midco) in Hong Kong. These exceptional works not only represent the zenith of Tang ceramic technology but also encapsulate the opulence and self-assurance of the Tang empire at its height.

In this Year of the Horse, let us contemplate these radiant blue-glazed sancai horses and, through their luminous depth, revisit an era defined by thundering hooves and boundless imperial ambition.

2026.01.23

New Online Exhibition Preview: Silver Iridescence in Han Green-glazed Wares

新線上展覽預告：銀化之美