Central Asian groom pasturing a horse

Object Details

• Label

  A turbaned Central Asian groom intensely watches over a white horse tied to a tree. The red tassel hanging from the bridle and the red string on the tail indicate the horse's high value and the likelihood that it was intended to be a gift to the throne. Such a theme-a foreign groom and a tribute horse waiting for imperial presentation-suggests that the original composition may have been created when China was under Mongol rule during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) and contacts with Central Asia were particularly strong. Since several later paintings with identical or similar compositions are known, this work was most likely produced by a workshop during the subsequent Ming dynasty (1368-1644), when the horse trade with Central Asia was still an important economic factor.

  Although the label slip in the upper right corner attributes this painting to Zhao Yan (died 923), a famous horse painter of the Five Dynasties period (907-960), this is certainly spurious. The true identity of the painter was lost with the replacement of a large rectangular piece of silk at the upper left of the painting, where his original signature probably appeared.

  Joseph Chang, Associate Curator of Chinese Art

  "Year of the Horse: Chinese Horse Paintings" exhibition label

  2/10/02 - 9/2/02

• Provenance

  ?-1959

  Eugene Meyer (1875-1959) and Agnes E. Meyer (1887-1970), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  1959-1970

  Agnes E. Meyer inherited upon the death of her husband, Eugene Meyer [2]

  1970-1992

  Ruth Meyer Epstein (1921-2007), by descent from her mother, Agnes E. Meyer [3]

  From 1992

  The National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, bequeathed by Ruth Meyer Epstein in 1992 [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See note 4.

  [2] Eugene Meyer died in Washington D.C. on July 17, 1959. Upon his death, his wife, Agnes E. Meyer inherited the entirety of the couple's collection.

  [3] The object was part of the Estate of Agnes E. Meyer. Her daughter, Ruth Meyer Epstein inherited the work upon her death.

  [4] See Ruth Meyer Epstein’s Deed of Gift, dated July 9, 1992, copy in object file. This work is part of the Museum’s Freer Gallery of Art Collection.

  Research updated on June 27, 2024

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Year of the Horse: Chinese Horse Paintings (February 24 to September 2, 2002)

  In Human Form: Images of the Secular and Divine in Chinese Painting (January 31, 1996 to January 7, 1997)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer ((1875-1959) and (1887-1970))

  Mrs. Ruth Meyer Epstein (1921-2007)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Ruth Meyer Epstein

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

  This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1300s

• Name

  Epstein, Ruth Meyer, Meyer, Eugene and Agnes E.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Animals, Chinese Art, Horses, Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368), Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), Groom

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Paintings