Object Details
Artist
Formerly attributed to Zhao Mengfu 趙孟頫 (1254-1322)
Label
More than seventy horses in various poses and activities are depicted in this unusually long handscroll. Perhaps these are the fine horses of an imperial stable with equerries (officers of a prince or nobleman charged with the care of horses) training, feeding, and judging them. The act of judging horses was a metaphor of keen mental discernment in general, and it held strong symbolic overtones about a person's ability to distinguish human qualities as well.
Provenance
To 1909
Loon Gu Sai, Beijing, to 1909 [1]
From 1909 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Loon Gu Sai, Beijing, in 1909 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 656, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. According to Ingrid Larsen, "'Don’t Send Ming or Later Pictures': Charles Lang Freer and the First Major Collection of Chinese Painting in an American Museum," Ars Orientalis vol. 40 (2011), Loon Gu Sai was possibly Lunguzhai, a store in the antiques district of Liulichang.
This object exhibits seals, colophons, or inscriptions that could provide additional information regarding the object’s history; see Curatorial Remarks in the object record for further details.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Year of the Horse: Chinese Horse Paintings (February 24 to September 2, 2002)
Previous custodian or owner
Loon Gu Sai (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Date
17th century
Period
Late Ming dynasty
Accession Number
F1909.198
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Painting
Medium
Ink and color on silk
Dimensions
H x W (image): 30 x 469 cm (11 13/16 x 184 5/8 in)
Origin
China
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
horse
Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
man
China
Chinese Art
Charles Lang Freer collection
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1909.198