A Horse
18th century
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1916.59
Tags
About this artwork
The body of this horse is mainly defined with various tonalities of ink wash. Only a few details, such as the eye, mane, bridle, and tail, are depicted with ink lines. An obvious Western influence in this unsigned work can be detected in the subtle silhouette and the obscure contrasts of dark and light.
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection *A Horse* is an 18th-century painting China's Qing dynasty (16441911). Donated by the visionary collector Charles Lang Freer, whose passion for Asian art enriched American museums, this unsigned work exemplifies the refined elegance of traditional Chinese ink painting. Horses held profound cultural symbolism in Chinese art, often representing power, nobility, and imperial might, making this piece a window into the era's artistic reverence for the natural world. The horse's form emerges gracefully through subtle tonalities of ink wash...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...