Creation and Separation

"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 work 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 antiquities market and subsequent stewardship by the Penn Museum are also explored. Relying on contemporaneous sources and archival records, this book reconstructs the roles of antiquities dealers, Chinese officials, and Western collecting museums in the sale of and competition for these stone horses. While underlining their exceptional significance and reconstructing the historical path on which they journeyed, this book 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"--