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Two archers on horseback

18th century

Medium: Ink and color on silk
Classification: Paintings
Dimensions: H x W: 25.2 x 23.8 cm (9 15/16 x 9 3/8 in)
Culture: Chinese
Museum: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Asian Art
Credit line: Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Rights: CC0 (Smithsonian Open Access), as the museum states it.
Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

About this work

This small album leaf presents a peculiar depiction of both riders and horses. The minimal detail given to the almost faceless rider in front and to the headless horse in back emphasizes the composition's awkwardness, which is heightened by the unnatural parallels formed by the horses' front legs. Moreover, the ambiguous spatial arrangement of the two horses and the feeble brushwork may very well suggest that this piece is a simple practice exercise from the hand of an enthusiastic painting student.