Han Kan  ( 8th century A.D. )
(Original is color and ink on silk)

    Han Kan, the T'ang painter who lived in the 8th century A.D., was a native of Lantien, Shensi. He excelled in painting portrait sand animals, especially saddled horses. At first he studied under Ts'ao Pa, the well-known painter of horses during the reign of the Emperor Ming Huang, but later on he created his own style. When in A.D. 742 he was called into the palace and ordered by the Emperor to study the painting of horses under Ch'en Hung, a prominent court painter, he replied, "I have my own teacher: all those horses in your Majesty's stables are my teachers." Quite surprised by this answer, the Emperor ordered him to paint the fine horses in the imperial stables.

This picture portrays two horses, one black and the other white. On the back of the white horse is a Tartar groom, who is leading the other horse.

On the picture is an inscription by the Sung Emperor Hui Tsung containing these words, "Genuine work of Han Kan." The man and horses so vividly drawn in the picture, and the testimony of Hui Tsung make it certain that it is a genuine piece by Han Kan.

The seals appearing on the picture indicate that it was in the collections of two noted Ming connoisseurs, Hsiang Yiian-pien,and Han Shihneng; and at a much earlier date, in the collection of the Southern T'ang court.