Plaque with a Winged Horse

North China

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 207

These plaques were created by (or for) the Xianbei, a nomadic people living in the steppes region of what is now Mongolia and northern China, who would later control a large part of northern China as the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534). According to the dynastic history of the Wei, they were led into China by a mysterious animal spirit that was shaped like a horse and that bellowed like an ox.

(One of a pair; see 24.174.7)

Plaque with a Winged Horse, Gilt bronze, North China

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Plaque with a Winged Horse, Gilt bronze, North China
Plaque with a Winged Horse, Gilt bronze, North China
Plaque with a Winged Horse, Gilt bronze, North China
Plaque with a Winged Horse, Gilt bronze, North China

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.