Hunting on Horses
1700
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1700
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Hunting on Horses is a 1700 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Hunting, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
Six riders in bright robes chase geese along a riverbank. A leader in a purple dragon robe sits tall on a white horse with a red tassel. A small white falcon grabs a goose mid-flight. This scroll was made for nomadic rulers in northern China. Hunting wasn’t just sport—it showed power. The leader’s still pose and fancy clothes mark him as the boss, while the others scramble behind. Look up more paintings of china to see how rulers used art to show off.
This large-scale hanging scroll depicts a party hunting for waterfowl along a riverbank in the springtime. The leader is distinguished from the other five mounted hunters by his purple robe with golden dragon patterns and his white horse with a red tassel. He and his horse maintain still, dignified postures as a small white falcon captures one of the wild geese. Equestrian pursuits and hunting were particularly popular among the Khitan (also spelled “Qidan”) and Jurchen, ethnic groups who lived along China’s northeastern border. Their nomadic lifestyle intrigued the Chinese court and inspired…
This falconry scene includes one white hunting dog and four trained hunting birds.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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