National Museum of Asian Art
Celestial Horses
Formerly attributed to Zhao Mengfu 趙孟頫 (1254-1322) · 17th century
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.
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