Dimensions: Height 42 cm Wide 15 cm Depth 36 cm
Weight: 7444 grams

This vividly modelled roof tile depicts a foreign rider astride a spirited horse, both covered in rich sancai (three-colour) lead glazes of green, amber, turquoise, and black. The rider, shown with expressive features, wears a belted tunic and a turban-like headdress, his arms raised as if in offering or gesture. The horse, with a powerful head and swirling mane, is similarly adorned with a saddlecloth and harness worked in low relief and highlighted in bright glazes.

Such roof tiles, placed on the ridges of temple and palatial buildings, served both decorative and apotropaic purposes. Figures of foreigners, guardians, and animals were frequently employed to demonstrate the cosmopolitan reach of the empire and to ward off evil influences. The dramatic features of the rider, with his wide eyes and full beard, reflect depictions of Central Asian or Western Asian figures, a theme especially popular in Ming decorative architecture.

The polychrome glazing retains much of its original brilliance, with expected areas of weathering and glaze loss from long architectural exposure.