This Gansu Flying Horse Weathervane was a delight to design. Our clients were creative and thoughtful to work with. When we design a new sculpture piece for one of our weather vanes there are technical considerations that will impact what is possible. If you look at the closeup of the hoof and bird you will see that to stabilize this piece we designed these two parts to be attached to the central rod. It works with the design and makes the vane work structurally. These customers also requested a security device for windy mounting location.

We constructed this Gansu Horse (also referred to historically as Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow) from copper with a brass mane in high detail swell bodied style. The eyes are glass. Optional gold leaf was applied to the ‘swallow’ under foot (some scholars wonder why it has been called a swallow for centuries, when the original obviously is not). Palladium leaf gilding was requested for the clouds under two of the hooves.

The Gansu Flying Horse or Han dynasty Flying Horse, Bronze Running Horse (銅奔馬  Tóng bēn mǎ) or Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow(馬踏飛燕 Mǎtà fēiyàn) is a Chinese sculpture in bronze from the Eastern Han dynasty probably the 2nd century CE. Discovered in 1969 near the city of Wuwei, in the province of Gansu, it is now in the Gansu Provincial Museum. “Perfectly balanced,” says one authority, “on the one hoof which rests without pressure on a flying swallow, it is a remarkable example of three-dimensional form and of animal portraiture with the head vividly expressing mettlesome vigor.”

Please enjoy the Asian Fusion Gallery.

Koi Weathervane Carp Swimming	Japanese Geisha Weathervane	Tang Horse Weathervane
Flying Egret Weathervane	Great Blue Heron Weathervane	Teapot With 3 Cups Weathervane
Shar Pei Weathervane	Santa Cruz Surfer Weathervane	Sand Cranes Weathervane
Gansu Flying Horse Weathervane	Stalking Tiger Weathervane	Chinese Dragon Weathervane
Asian Elephant Weathervane		Godzilla Weathervane