Horse and Willow Tree
Not on view
Since the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220), fine horses have symbolized military power and imperial authority in China. For this reason, powerful steeds were a popular subject at the early Ming court. Frequently such paintings show sleek animals grazing, often tethered to willow trees. Perhaps such images were intended to connote an empire at peace, when warhorses were not required to subdue insurrection or combat foreign invaders
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