Polo Player

Polo Player

700s-800s
Country
China, north
Object
figure
Accession Number
1959.4.2
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Lennig Sweet
Polo Player. 700s-800s. Gift of Mr. Lennig Sweet. 1959.4.2.
Dimensions
height: 10 3/8 in, 26.3525 cm; width: 4 3/4 in, 12.065 cm; length: 14 3/8 in, 36.5125 cm
Department
Arts of Asia
Collection
Arts of Asia

Polo Player
700s–800s, Tang dynasty (618–907)
China
Earthenware
Gift of Lennig Sweet
1959.4.2

One of a pair in the Denver Art Museum's collection, this ceramic figures is among the finest examples of polo players on galloping horses from the Tang dynasty. Polo is believed to have originated in ancient Iran, Central Asia, or Tibet, and it reached China by the late 600s via the Silk Road. Both men and women played the game, which was a favorite sport of the Tang court. A large number of ceramic polo player sculptures have been found in elite tombs of the Tang dynasty.