Title: “TIAN MA”
(Meaning, “heavenly horse” in Chinese and pronounced, “tee-ann maa”)
Image Size: 32.5” W x 25.5” H
Paper Size: 33.125” W x 26.125” H (unframed) Available
Edition: 25
Artist's Proofs: 10
Printer's Proofs: 3
Story:
While the horse was always essential to Chinese civilization it wasn’t until the reign of Emperor Wudi (157 – 87BC) that the horse became the centerpiece of their military battles. Known as “The Father of the Silk Road,” the emperor was forced to confront the powerful nomadic Huns to the north with their superior equines that facilitated quick movements. The royal court searching for similar horses heard of amazing “blood-sweating” or the red horses of Dayuan (now Ferghana). Sending the great general Guangli, they captured and brought back these magnificent animals that the Emperor referred to as “Tian Ma” or Heavenly Horses that redefined how the Emperor could wage war. And forever changed the horse in Chinese society to that of a gift from Heaven.
Notes on Original Work of Art:
Acrylic paint on heavy watercolor paper, veiled over with hand-made Japanese rice lace, bathed in a mixture of archival beeswax and UV-resistant polymers, surrounded with insets of mid-1800’s Mongolian black Buddhist manuscript pages, written in crushed jewel pigments, adorned at each corner with 4 rare 16th – 17th century Chinese cash coins, affixed with religious wax collected from holy temples and monasteries, accented with early 1800’s tassels from Uzbekistan used as tent ornaments, resting on contemporary “snake skin” paper printed in gold and lapis paint using a 16th century carved wooden Pali prayer book cover as print block, with top and bottom borders (from middle out) wrapped in late 1800’s embroidery from a Segosha tribal vestment from Uzbekistan, then flanked with late 1800’s Lakai embroidery from a calligrapher’s belt from Uzbekistan, resting on a mid-1800’s embroidered Kapunni door surround from Uzbekistan, with left and right panels (from middle out) with late 1800’s embroidery from tent tassels from Uzbekistan, flanked with late 1800’s Indonesian fabric, resting on mid-1800’s embroidered wedding screen from Mongolia, all mounted onto 2 ply museum board.
Notes on Giclée:
1. The image of the horse is hand-embellished by the Artist with palette knife using 7 acrylic paint colors and 18k gold.
2. Four 17th - 18th century Chinese cash coins are affixed to the edition using melted religious wax collected from holy temples and monasteries.
Printed using archival inks on water resistant fine art canvas.
The Year of the Rooster Collection
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