A SILK PAINTING OF BO LE WITH HORSES, AFTER ZHAO MENGFU (1254-1322) China, Qing dynasty, 18^th-19^th century or earlier. Ink and color on silk. Depicting the famous groom riding a horse with a pale chestnut color and light gray mane, an unsaddled, white-spotted brown horse with dark mane walking beside them, its muzzle with a green harness suspending a red tassel.

Inscriptions: Upper left, signed 'Zi Ang', and one seal, 'Zhao shi Zi'Ang'. Lower right, two seals.

Provenance: From an old Austrian private collection, by repute acquired ca. 1970, and thence by descent. The backside with cut-out text from an old auction catalog, in the German language, attributing the painting to the Yuan dynasty.
Condition: Good condition with some wear, tiny losses, few tears, minor soiling and creases, some old restorations around the edges.

Dimensions: Image size 33.4 x 29.1 cm, Size incl. frame 42 x 41 cm

Matted and framed behind glass.

Bo Le, the legendary horse tamer from the Spring and Autumn period (771 - 476 BC) is depicted in this painting. He was a famous judge of horses and invented equine physiognomy. The motif of Bo Le judging horses eventually became a metaphor for the recruitment of able government officials.

Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322), also known as Zhao Zi Ang, was a Chinese painter of the Yuan dynasty who excelled in Chinese painting, calligraphy, poetry, and music. He was particularly famous for his paintings of horses, which he used as a symbolic plea for the proper use of scholarly talent by the new Mongol administration. Kublai Khan personally recruited him for high state services in 1286. During the reign of Emperor Buyantu Khan, he was among the most influential figures at court. As an eleventh-generation descendant of Emperor Taizu, Zhao was also a Song prince by birth.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related painting of a groom with horse, by Zhao Mengfu, 1296-1359, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1988.135.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 9 November 2017, lot 83
Price: GBP 27,500 or approx. EUR 36,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A painting of Bo Le with horse, after Zhao Mengfu, Ming Dynasty or later
Expert remark: Note the similar size (29 x 38.9 cm) and the attribution to a follower



趙孟頫款《伯樂相馬》
中國，清代，十八至十九世紀或稍早。絹本設色。描繪了著名伯樂騎著一匹淺栗色的馬。一匹沒有鞍的、白色斑紋的棕色馬，黑色的鬃毛，在旁邊走著。

款識：子昂；印：趙氏子昂。右下方另有兩印。

來源：奧地利私人舊藏 ，據説購於1970年前後，保存至今。背面可見一德語拍賣行文字，認爲此畫為元代。
品相：狀況良好，有一些磨損、微小的缺損、輕微撕裂、污漬和摺痕，邊緣有一些修復。

尺寸：畫面33.4 x 29.1 厘米，總 42 x 41 厘米

玻璃裝框。

文獻比較：
比較一件相近趙孟頫人馬圖（1296年-1359年），收藏於大都會藝術博物館，編號1988.135。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦邦瀚斯，2017年11月9日，lot 83
價格：GBP 27,500（相當於今日EUR 37,000）
描述：明或更晚趙孟頫（傳）伯樂相馬 設色絹本
專家評論：請注意尺寸相似(29 x 38.9 厘米) ，以及出自趙孟頫追隨者之手。