Year of the Horse in Chinese Paintings

The horse is one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, long used to mark the passage of time in a recurring twelve-year cycle. Associated with speed, power, and stamina, the horse has been a symbol of strength and vitality for centuries. Beginning on February 16, the Lunar New Year ushered in the Year of the Horse.

Galloping Steed: Celebrating the Year of the Horse in Chinese Paintings brings together works by Xu Beihong (1895 – 1953), one of the most celebrated artists of early twentieth-century China, alongside rare paintings by Louis Antoine de Poirot (1735 – 1813), a French Jesuit artist who served at the court of the Qianlong Emperor (reigned 1735 – 1796). Presented together, these works offer a rare opportunity to explore distinct artistic traditions through a shared subject. The exhibition highlights the enduring appeal of the horse as a favored motif in Chinese art.

Galloping Steed is part of a multi-year exhibition series developed by the Norton Museum of Art in partnership with the Dongguan Lou Collection. The series explores major artists and themes in Chinese art from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries.