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Blue-glazed pack-mule figurine with brown speckles
Updated: Jun 9, 2025
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Look closer at this Tang Dynasty (618-907) blue-glazed mule figurine with brown speckles. Its sturdy legs are braced for a long trek, head bowed under a saddle painted in dazzling yellow, white and cobalt stripes. In the Tang era, mules like this one carried silk, spices and other goods between East and West – fueling a golden age of exchange.
Unearthed in 1966 in the Lianhu district of Xi'an, the figurine is a national first-class treasure from the collection of Xi'an Museum, reminding us of the clippety-clop of hooves along the dusty trade routes.
