Accession Number
1970/2.160.1

Title
Horse Riding at Altar of Heaven (Tiantan)

Artist(s)
Gao Cen

Artist Nationality
Chinese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
late 17th century

Medium & Support
ink and color on paper

Dimensions
8 1/2 in x 12 7/16 in (21.59 cm x 31.59 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Carter

Label copy
Gao Cen
Chinese, act. 1643–1679
Horse Riding at Altar of Heaven (Tiantan), from the album Twelve Views of
Jinling (Nanjing)
China, Qing Dynasty (1644–1912)
Late 17th century
Album leaf, ink and color on paper
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Carter, 1970/2.160.1

Gao Cen was born during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), which fell to the Manchus in 1644. Jinling (present-day Nanjing) was the first capital of the Ming dynasty, and the city continued to be China’s political and cultural center even after the capital was moved to Beijing in 1421. With this series of paintings the artist intended to evoke sorrow for the fall of the Ming dynasty. In this album leaf he depicts a scholar on horseback traveling to the Temple of Heaven, which was built in the Jingling region during the Ming dynasty; the temple represents imperial power and presence and thus commemorates Ming rule.

Gao Cen is known in China as one of the Eight Masters of Jinling, a group that flourished in the second half of the seventeenth century and painted landscapes of the Jinling region. Very little is known about Gao Cen's life, but his paintings were highly regarded in his day.

Subject matter
This album leaf depicts a scholar on horseback traveling to the Temple of Heaven, which was built in the Jingling region during the Ming dynasty; the temple represents imperial power and presence and thus commemorates Ming rule.  With this series of paintings the artist intended to evoke sorrow for the fall of the Ming dynasty. 

Physical Description
A scholar is riding on horseback on a section of land in the foreground of the bottom left which also has several trees. The middle ground of the painting is water with mountains in the distance. The top of the print has text and stamped seals. 

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
landscape

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Architecture
Equus caballus (species)
Landscapes
boats
bridges
bridges (built works)
hills
houses
landscapes (representations)
mountains
rain
scholars
trees
water