Removing the Saddle, Inspecting the Arrows

This finely executed painting shows a grizzled cavalry warrior who has removed his armor and rests while he inspects his arrows. Glad to be rid of its saddle, his horse rolls on the ground, happily kicking its legs in the air. The horse has an incision in its ear, a practice followed by the Khitans. These seminomadic people lived on the northeastern border regions of the Northern Song (960-1127) empire in the general area of modern Manchuria, where they established their own Liao dynasty (907-1125).

The painting is attributed to Zhang Kan, a native of Waqiao (modern Xiongxian, Hebei Province), located near the Yan Mountains on the border of Liao territory. Zhang was particularly renowned for his accurate depictions of his nomadic neighbors and their horses. As seen here, his paintings are enlivened with a close attention to detail, such as the notched ear of the horse and the dress and armaments of the warrior. While none of Zhang's original paintings has survived, this work exhibits the features most closely associated with his style and may be a slightly later copy of a genuine composition by Zhang.

A rare official seal from the Northern Song dynasty in the upper right corner helps to date this painting to the late eleventh or early twelfth century. This seal, which reads Shangshusheng yin (seal of the imperial secretariat), was only employed from around 1083 to 1126 on paintings and calligraphy belonging to the imperial collection of the Northern Song dynasty.

To learn more about this and similar objects, visit http://www.asia.si.edu/SongYuan/default.asp Song and Yuan Dynasty Painting and Calligraphy.