Museum show abounds in horse tales

A Tang dynasty bronze mirorr features a pair of flying horses and a pair of phoenixes as decoration.

The horse represents bravery and power in Giuseppe Castiglione's signature work, Emperor Qianlong at a Military Review. In the original painting on silk, the Qing Dynasty (1368-1911) court painter from Milan, portrayed the 29-year-old emperor in a suit of splendid armor and his horse. Castiglione used Chinese brushwork though he hadn't quite mastered ink techniques at that time. He gave the work a pleasant three-dimensional effect of an oil painting.

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The museum has a life-sized replica of the emperor and his horse measuring 3.3 meters in height. Qianlong's face has been removed, allowing visitors to stand in his place for photos.

The horse also looks cute enough to be petted, despite it being only a bronze ornament.

Another item on display is a pair of seated horses that adorned the Juren Hall inside the Zhongnanhai compound. Originally named Haiyan Hall, the two-story hall in the Western style was accomplished in 1904. It was where Empress Dowager Cixi played hostess to foreign female guests.

"The horses exude a royal demeanor of grace and possess the realistic touch of Western sculpture," says Zhang Jie from the museum's curatorial and research department.