唐 韓幹 照夜白圖 卷|Night-Shining White
ca. 750
Medium
Handscroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
Image: 12 1/8 x 13 3/8 in. (30.8 x 34 cm) Overall with mounting: 14 in. x 37 ft. 5 1/8 in. (35.4 cm x 11.4 m)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Tang dynasty (618–907)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1977
Accession Number
1977.78
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Night-Shining White* (*Zhao Ye Bai*), a masterful handscroll by Tang dynasty artist Han Gan, created around 750 CE. During the Tang era (618–907), called China's golden age of art and culture, horses symbolized power, speed, and imperial prestige. Han Gan, a court painter favored by Emperor Xuanzong, in equine portraits, capturing the nobility and vitality of these creatures with unparalleled realism. This ink-on-paper depiction portrays the emperor's legendary white steed, Bai Long ("Night-Shining White"), rearing dynamically against a vast, empty background that amplifies its majesti...