Museum show abounds in horse tales

A pair of horse statues that adorned the Juren Hall show the impact of Western sculpture. Jiang Dong / China Daily

Of all the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, the horse is the animal that the people feel the greatest connection to.

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Even though nowadays horses are rarely used on farms or for transport and certainly not as a battle companion, people still relish the excitement of galloping on horseback. And the rich cultural history of the relationship between horses and people make the animals a recurring motif in artworks today.

The Capital Museum is holding a horse-themed exhibition. The noble, gentle creatures are represented in many different forms, such as paintings and statues of jade, ceramic and bronze.

A sancai (three-colored) terracotta horse of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) is an example of how statues of horses were often included in tombs. Its role as a symbol of wealth and social rank lasted for several centuries. Carriages were found in nobles' tombs dating as far back as the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC).

 IF YOU GO

9 am-5 pm, closed onMondays, untilMarch 23. CapitalMuseum, 16 Fuxingmenwai Dajie (Street), Xicheng district, Beijing. 01063370491/ 2.