King Mu (r. 1001–947 B.C.) was an intrepid adventurer and is said to have traveled to the famous paradise of the immortals on Mount Kunlun as well as to other worldly and not–so–worldly sites. After his adventures, he released his eight favorite horses into a beautiful valley to finish their lives under the care of his charioteer.
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清中期 穆王八駿圖玉山子
Title:Boulder with the eight horses of King Mu
Period:Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Date:18th century
Culture:China
Medium:Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions:H. 7 3/16 in. (18.3 cm); W. 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm); D. 3 3/8 in. (8.5 cm)
Classification:Jade
Credit Line:Gift of Heber R. Bishop, 1902
Accession Number:02.18.612
Heber R. Bishop American, New York (until 1902; donated to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Bishop Jades," March 30, 2004–February 12, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The "Hundred Antiques"," February 18–October 31, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Extravagant Display: Chinese Art in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries," December 14, 2010–May 1, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Passion for Jade: The Heber Bishop Collection," March 14, 2015–June 19, 2016.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Passion for Jade: Heber Bishop and His Collection," October 21, 2017–July 22, 2018.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Passion for Jade: The Heber Bishop Collection," July 2, 2022–February 17, 2025.
Bishop, Heber R. The Heber R. Bishop Collection of Jade and other Hard Stones. Handbook no. 10. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1909, p. 64.
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