Picture scroll of Zhao Lin Zhaoling’s six steeds

[Zhao Lin’s Painting of the Six Horses in Zhaoling]

The Painting of the Six Horses in Zhaoling, gold, Zhao Lin’s painting, silk, color, 27.4 cm in length and 444.9 cm in width
This picture is based on the six steeds carved in the Zhaoling Tomb of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. The whole volume is divided into six sections. Each section is painted with a horse, with a praise beside it. The shape of the horse is not only faithful to the original work, but also pays attention to the advantages of the painting. Through the vigorous brushwork and subtle color setting, the color of the horse’s coat is more real and natural, and the majestic posture of the war horse galloping on the battlefield is also very vivid. Whether it’s galloping, jumping, jogging or standing, you can do your best
Among the six steeds, the most splendid one is the salu purple led by the waiter. According to the “Biography of Wang Xinggong in the Old Book of the Tang Dynasty”: “At the beginning, from begging Wang Shichong to fight on Mount Mang, Taizong wanted to know his strength and strength, but he rushed with dozens of horses, straight out of the rear, and everyone was defeated. He dared not be his front, and many people were killed and injured. Looking for a powerful rider to catch up with Taizong, he hit the imperial horse in the arrow, and Xinggong shot back on the horse. The rest of the thieves did not dare to return, and then dismounted and drew the arrow, and entered Taizong with his horse. Xinggong stepped in front of the imperial horse, held a long sword, leaped and shouted, cut off several people, and burst into the array If you leave, you have to enter the army. In Zhenguan, there was an imperial edict to carve a stone as a horse standing in front of the Zhaoling Palace in the shape of drawing an arrow. ” The scene selected in the picture is exactly the moment when Wang Xinggong drew the arrow for Zaluzi. The stout and strong Wang Xinggong drew the arrow with his right hand, pushed the arrow with his left hand, leaned back, looked gentle, and showed his love. The injured horse stood obediently, with its head close to Wang Xinggong, which was also full of emotion. The front legs of Saluki are taut and the back legs are slightly bent, which shows the dynamics of the horse’s forbearance of severe pain in great detail. In terms of details, this painting is more subtle than stone carving
The other five horses were riding by Li Shimin when he was riding Liu Heita, and by Tule Piao when he was fighting against Song Jingang. They all walked slowly, with their ears up and their eyes sharp. With nine arrows in the body, the horsemen with fist hair start easily and head forward, which is more handsome and resolute, showing the extraordinary temperament of a battle-hardened god. White hoof Wu, Qingzhui, and Shifalchi were riding when Li Shimin fought with Xue Renguo, Dou Jiande, and Wang Shichong, respectively. They were all galloping, with four hooves flying in the air, and their manes flying, highlighting the dynamics of galloping and the fierce momentum, showing the majestic posture when they were in the battle. The six steeds, with their different movements, expressions and momentum, show their common lofty and vigorous spirit, which can be regarded as the best works in the images of war horses in the past dynasties
From the perspective of painting style, this picture obviously absorbs the Han art tradition, inherits the horse painting techniques of the Tang and Northern Song dynasties, especially the charm of Han Gan in the Tang Dynasty. The modeling is accurate and simple, the line drawing is soft and even, the color is thick and thick, and the rendering is full of texture
This picture was created by Zhao Lin, a painter of the Jin Dynasty, and is the only surviving version. Each section of the praise was written by Zhao Bingwen, a famous calligrapher of the Jin Dynasty, and Zhao’s circulation of books is also rare. The relief of the six steeds of the Tang Zhaoling was carved by a stone at the beginning of the Song Dynasty. The line structure of this painting is almost the same as that of the stone rubbings. Zhao Lin probably made it with reference to the stone rubbings of the Northern Song Dynasty (the original stone carving is now in the Shaanxi Provincial Museum)
The volume has Emperor Qianlong’s book “Song of Zhaoling Stone Horse” at the beginning and Zhao Bingwen’s inscription at the back, pointing out that the author is Zhao Lin
Records of Shiqu Treasure Collection – Continuation, Shiqu Essays and other books.