元 趙孟頫 趙雍 趙麟 吳興趙氏三世人馬圖 卷|Grooms and horses
dated 1296 and 1359
Medium
Handscroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image: 11 7/8 x 70 1/8 in. (30.2 x 178.1 cm) Overall with mounting: 12 1/4 in. x 29 ft. 2 1/2 in. (31.1 x 890.3 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988
Accession Number
1988.135
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This remarkable handscroll, titled *Grooms and Horses*, a rare three-generation collaboration by the illustrious Zhao family of Wuxing: Zhao Meng (1254–1322), a leading Yuan dynasty literati painter and scholar-official; his son Zhao Yong (1289–1360); and grandson Zhao Lin (. 14th century). Dated to 1296 with later additions in 1359 it captures grooms tending spirited horses in vivid ink and color on paper, measuring an expansive 70 inches in length when unrolled. In the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), under Mongol rule, horse paintings evoked imperial power, nomadic heritage, and Confucian ideals of harmony between man and beast. Zhao Mengfu, renowned for reviving Song dynasty styles like those of Li Gonglin, blended precise ink outlines with subtle color washes, influencing generations. His descendants continued this lineage, adding sections that demonstrate evolving family aesthetics and technical finesse in the handscroll format—designed for intimate, sequential viewing among elites. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this gift from John M. Crawford Jr. (1988) highlights the Zhaos' enduring legacy in Chinese painting, where horses symbolized vitality and status. Unfurl it mentally to appreciate their masterful depiction of motion, texture, and quiet grandeur.
About the Artist
Zhao Mengfu|Zhao Yong|Zhao Lin · 1254–1322
Chinese, 1254–1322