Night-Shining White
照夜白图
The single most celebrated painting of a horse in Chinese art. Han Gan's ink drawing of Emperor Xuanzong's favourite charger, 'Night-Shining White', has been treasured by collectors for over 1,270 years — its scroll is covered end to end in colophons and seals of the emperors, scholars, and dealers through whose hands it passed.
Object Facts
- Period
- Tang dynasty (618–907)
- Date
- ca. 750
- Artist
- Han Gan (韩干)
- Medium
- Handscroll; ink on paper
- Dimensions
- 30.8 × 34 cm (image); 35.4 cm × 11.4 m with mounting
- Held by
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, USA - Accession
- 1977.78
Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1977
Why it matters
A founding document of Chinese figurative painting. Han Gan's refusal to flatter the horse — his insistence that animals be observed from life — redirected the entire tradition of Chinese equine art.
How it travelled
The scroll was in the imperial collection of the Qing emperors and recorded in the 1745 Shiqu Baoji catalogue. It left the Forbidden City with the deposed Puyi in 1924, passed through Japan, and was bought on the London art market by Sir Percival David. The Met acquired it in 1977.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see Night-Shining White?+
Night-Shining White is held by the The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA. Accession number 1977.78. Online catalogue record: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39901.
When was Night-Shining White created?+
Night-Shining White dates to ca. 750, during the Tang dynasty (618–907).
Who made Night-Shining White?+
Night-Shining White is attributed to Han Gan (韩干). The work is a handscroll executed in handscroll; ink on paper.
How did Night-Shining White end up at the The Met?+
The scroll was in the imperial collection of the Qing emperors and recorded in the 1745 Shiqu Baoji catalogue. It left the Forbidden City with the deposed Puyi in 1924, passed through Japan, and was bought on the London art market by Sir Percival David. The Met acquired it in 1977.
Can I reuse the photograph of Night-Shining White?+
Yes. The The Met has released the image under Creative Commons Zero (CC0), so it is free for any use, commercial or non-commercial, with no attribution required (though attribution is appreciated).
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