Handscroll; ink and color on paper 18 1/2 x 65 3/4 in. (47 x 167
cm) Bequest of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988 (1989.363.5) The right
side of this handscroll dates to the late twelfth or early
thirteenth century, when China was ruled by the Jin dynasty; the
left side was inscribed and illustrated during the fourteenth-
century Yuan period. Essential to Mongol culture, the tireless
and agile Central Asian horse had long been praised in China as
the "celestial steed." During the Mongol period, it came to
symbolize the prompt success, rapid conquest, and easy
communication that united the empire. The familiarity with which
the Mongol rider on the left sits bareback, nonchalantly looking
at the two other horses, suggests the intimate relationship the
Mongols had with their inseparable companions.