Stock No: 15831

A pair of Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) sancai-glazed ridge tiles modelled as horse and rider. Both tiles are glazed in rich green and amber, the horses in a rich amber and the riders wearing green robes.

Tiles of this kind were often used on public and private buildings to ward off evil spirits. The work of glazed tiles is known in China as Liuli Wa, literally `roof-tile of glass`, a term dating back to the Tang Dynasty. According to traditional Chinese beliefs, roofs are a platform of communication between the world of the living and the realm of the spirits.
Chinese, late 15th - early 16th century.

Sancai means three glazes, the basic colours of this glaze are green, cream and amber, but more colours were sometimes used. It was a lead glaze and the addition of metal oxides created the limited palate of green and amber and sometimes blue. In the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 AD), grave goods were often glazed in this manner and there was a resurgence in popularity for this glaze in the Ming period.

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