Hunting on Horses China, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) - Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

Hunting on Horses

騎馬狩獵

c. 1600s–1700s

China, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) - Qing dynasty

(1644-1911)

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Painting: 276 x 147.5 cm (108 11/16 x 58 1/16 in.); Overall with knobs: 380 x 184 cm (149 5/8 x 72 7/16 in.)

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1915.680

Location: not on view

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Did You Know?

This falconry scene includes one white hunting dog and four trained hunting birds.

Description

This large-scale hanging scroll depicts a party hunting for waterfowl along a riverbank in the springtime. The leader is distinguished from the other five mounted hunters by his purple robe with golden dragon patterns and his white horse with a red tassel. He and his horse maintain still, dignified postures as a small white falcon captures one of the wild geese.

Equestrian pursuits and hunting were particularly popular among the Khitan (also spelled “Qidan”) and Jurchen, ethnic groups who lived along China’s northeastern border. Their nomadic lifestyle intrigued the Chinese court and inspired Chinese artists to develop a painting genre showing them hunting.