Creation and Separation: A Chinese Emperor's Six Stone Horses [Hardcover]

Tang Taizong (Li Shimin), 2nd emperor of the Tang dynasty, commissioned six statues of his favorite warhorses to be carved in stone and serve as part of his political legacy at his mausoleum, Zhao Ling. This book traces the history and significance of these statues, from their creation in 7th-century China, through their removal from the mausoleum in the early 20th c., when two made their way to the United States antiquities market through the dealer C.T. Loo, and ultimately to the Penn Museum. Their time on the art market and subsequent stewardship by the Penn Museum are also explored. Contemporaneous sources and archival records reconstruct the roles of different people, Chinese and Westerners, in the sale of and competition for these stone horses. While underlining their exceptional significance and reconstructing the historical path they traversed, this work serves to bridge the gaps in the shared knowledge of the historical facts pertaining to these horse reliefs and build a common foundation for intercultural dialogue and cooperation surrounding cultural heritage preservation and changing museum practice.Dedication List of Figures List of Tables Abbreviations Acknowledgments Chronology of Chinese Dynasties Timeline of the Six Stone Horses and Related Events Introduction: The Story of the Six Stone Horses I. Creation 1 Li Shimin and His Warhorses 2 The Creation of Zhao Ling and the Six Stone Horses 3 Challenges to Authenticity 4 Protection and Damage II. Separation 5 Three Sales of the Six Stone Horses in China 6 The Penn Museum, China, and C.T. Loo 7 Competing for the Two Stone Horses in the West 8 On Exhibit at Penn 9 Conclusion References Glossary-Index