Pair of Horses Ch'iu Ying (ca. 1494-1552), Ming   Dynasty Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 109.5 x   50.4 cm

This work depicts two horses and their grooms. The man closest to us turns around. He is a court figure leading a light-colored horse that appears calm and relaxed. The groom behind is a frontier guard leading a dark horse with a powerful martial appearance. The arrangement of the 2 pairs creates an interesting contrast. In the middle Ming, the Tartars often attacked China's borders, so this work perhaps had a deeper meaning attached to it. The brushwork varies between fine and coarse, thus differing from the delicate opulent style usually associated with Ch'iu Ying.     Although this work is undated, the prose poem "Heavenly Steeds" by Wen Cheng-ming (1470-1559) at the top is dated to 1540.