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View
other panel in the pair.
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Grooms and horses
Tang dynasty (618–907), early 8th century
Two panels from an eight-panel screen, ink and color on silk
Each panel: 21 1/8 x 8 5/8 in. (53.5 x 22 cm)
Excavated from Tomb 188, Astana, Turfan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region, 1972
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum
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Since Han times, sturdy battle chargers had strategic and symbolic
importance in asserting Chinese power along the Silk Road. By
the early eighth century, with China's borders secure, a stable
of finely bred horses was as much a status symbol as a group of
beautiful women, and the depiction of horses became an independent
genre as did the portrayal of palace ladies. These horses, their
dynamic outlines reinforced with shading, have a graphic energy
and an exaggerated rotundity that are typical of Tang depictions
of fine stallions. These two panels, from a screen found in an
early-eighth-century tomb, are rare examples of Tang painting
on silk. The screen survived because of Turfan's unusually dry
climate.
A Closer Look
Horses were viewed as an important symbol of power, wealth, and
prestige since at least the Han dynasty. This inspired rulers
and military commanders, such as the man with whom these paintings
were interred, to commission depictions of
robust and powerful
looking steeds, often accompanied by their attendants. Here, horses,
each of a different breed and wearing distinctive saddles, are
led by Central Asian grooms, dressed in costumes consisting of
long tunics, pants, and tall soft boots.
Paintings excavated from dated tombs provide invaluable information
about the early development of painting in China. For instance,
the brushwork—strong, evenly modulated lines filled with
color—reveals the artist’s ability to depict what he
observes realistically with skill and sensitivity. In contrast
the trees, birds, clouds, and clumps of earth are neither extensively
developed nor a prominent part of the composition; they resemble
a stage backdrop. Mountains in the far distance are similarly
depicted merely as minute triangles. This shows that Chinese painters
initially concentrated on narrative images and that the landscape
scenes that became the hallmark of Chinese painting during the
Song dynasty (960–1279) were a later development.
Notice
• The way that the horses have been painted
and that each horse has a different coloring
• The birds in the sky and stylized cloud patterns
• The landscape elements that create a setting
for each horse and groom and the relationships between these
compositional elements
Consider
• Why the horses and riders have such glum
expressions. Curator Mike Hearn suggests that it may be to indicate
that they are mourning their deceased master, the occupant of
the tomb.
Visit the Met
• One of the masterpieces of the Met’s
permanent collection of Chinese paintings is
Night Shining White, attributed to the court artist
Han Gan, famous for his portraits of horses.
• The Met owns a very similar
garment, found in the Caucasus, to the ones worn by the
Central Asian grooms in these paintings.
Did You Know?
This painting was made on silk with carbon-based
ink and pigments made of ground mineral or plant materials mixed
with water and adhesives. In particular, malachite was used
for the green color of the tree leaves. Each panel was initially
mounted on a wooden frame, creating a screen format popular
in China at the time for sets of paintings that presented variations
on a theme. (For
more information, see "A
Look at Chinese Paintings.")
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