Tang Dynasty Woman Playing Polo

This is the translation of the title written in Chinese on this painting.

This is done by （Kang Shuo-Sheng） of Shandong Province in Northern China. I was introduced to this artist's work by artist Qin Xia's gallery manager (who happens to also be Qin Xia's cousin). The artist lives a bit too far outside of Jinan city, so I did not get a chance to meet face-to-face. But I really liked the style and composition, so I had to buy the artwork.

If you are curious, an ancient Chinese version of polo was a common game of nobles during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). It was not just for nobles, as various Emperors would often enlist maids, servants, traveling soldiers, concubines, and even diplomats from Tibet to play the game.

The Tang Dynasty was really the "dynasty of the horse", as more than any other time, horses were an important part of society. In fact, one's wealth was strictly determined by the number of horses one owned. Good horsemanship was also a revered trait. Horses were also an important element of the Tang army, with officers and Chinese knights riding horses into battle.