Female equestrian traveler with brimmed hat

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Female equestrian traveler with brimmed hat

China

Date
618–906
Medium
Glazed and painted stoneware
Department
Asian Art
Institution
Minneapolis Institute of Art

This sculpture represents a female traveler riding a horse (identifiable by her attire and hairstyle), protected by a wide-brimmed hat suited for long-distance travel. In the Tang dynasty, horses were indispensable means of transportation, and women—especially from elite or urban backgrounds—enjoyed a level of mobility and visibility rarely seen in earlier periods. The calm, advancing horse and the rider’s upright posture suggest purposeful travel rather than ceremonial display. As a tomb figure, this work reflects the Tang ideal of an active afterlife and highlights how the horse enabled women’s movement, independence, and participation in the empire’s cosmopolitan culture. China, Asia

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