Two Horses

Unidentified

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Executed at the height of the artist's career, Two Horses is a study in complements: dark and light horses; earthen shoreline and rocky outcrop; and contrasting species of trees. Charged with distinguishing between truth and falsehood, good and evil, Qian's imagery seems to reflect the powerful contending forces with which he had to deal during his precariously balanced career. His distinctive use of shading to model forms reveals the growing impact of European engravings and painting techniques on Chinese artists of this period. A noted calligrapher who also specialized in the painting of horses, Qian Feng is best known for twice risking his life by bringing charges against unscrupulous officials linked to the Qianlong emperor's favorite, the notoriously corrupt Heshen (1758–1799). Since the connoisseurship of fine horses was a metaphor for the ability to judge and select men for government service, Qian's artistic specialization was particularly appropriate in light of his official duties, which required him to evaluate the performance of his peers in the bureaucracy.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art