Horse Riding at Altar of Heaven (Tiantan)
Gao Cen
Description
Gao Cen
Chinese, act. 1643–1679
Horse Riding at Altar of Heaven (Tiantan), from the album Twelve Views of
Jinling (Nanjing)
China, Qing Dynasty (1644–1912)
Late 17th century
Album leaf, ink and color on paper
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Carter, 1970/2.160.1
Gao Cen was born during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), which fell to the Manchus in 1644. Jinling (present-day Nanjing) was the first capital of the Ming dynasty, and the city continued to be China’s political and cultural center even after the capital was moved to Beijing in 1421. With this series of paintings the artist intended to evoke sorrow for the fall of the Ming dynasty. In this album leaf he depicts a scholar on horseback traveling to the Temple of Heaven, which was built in the Jingling region during the Ming dynasty; the temple represents imperial power and presence and thus commemorates Ming rule.
Gao Cen is known in China as one of the Eight Masters of Jinling, a group that flourished in the second half of the seventeenth century and painted landscapes of the Jinling region. Very little is known about Gao Cen's life, but his paintings were highly regarded in his day.
Subject Matter:
This album leaf depicts a scholar on horseback traveling to the Temple of Heaven, which was built in the Jingling region during the Ming dynasty; the temple represents imperial power and presence and thus commemorates Ming rule. With this series of paintings the artist intended to evoke sorrow for the fall of the Ming dynasty.
Physical Description:
A scholar is riding on horseback on a section of land in the foreground of the bottom left which also has several trees. The middle ground of the painting is water with mountains in the distance. The top of the print has text and stamped seals.
Usage Rights:
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