明/清 佚名 舊傳趙孟頫 相馬圖 卷|Judging a Horse
Medium
Handscroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
12 x 40 1/2 in. (30.5 x 102.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Ming (1368–1644) or Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1913
Accession Number
13.220.4
Tags
About this artwork
This handscroll painting, attributed to an unidentified artist working in the manner of the celebrated Yuan dynasty master Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322), explores the traditional Chinese theme of horse connoisseurship during the Ming (1368-1644) or Qing (1644-1911) dynasty. Executed in ink and color on silk, the 12 by 40½ inch composition reflects the enduring influence of Zhao Mengfu, who was popularly remembered as a painter of horses in the Tang dynasty tradition of Han Gan. During the early Yuan p...
Art Historical Context
This exquisite handscroll, *Judging a Horse*, is a Ming (1368–1644) or Qing (1644–1911) dynasty painting by an unidentified artist working in the style of the Yuan master Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322). Measuring 12 x 40½ inches and rendered in ink and color on silk, it captures the timeless Chinese art of horse connoisseurship. Zhao Mengfu, famed for his horses echoing the Tang dynasty's Han Gan, profoundly influenced later painters, and this work exemplifies that legacy with its refined brushwork and vivid depiction of figures—men and women—closely inspecting a steed. The scene draws on the legend...
About the Artist
Zhao Mengfu|Unidentified artist · 1254–1322
Chinese, 1254–1322