Three Horses

Inscription: Painted for Juemi as a memento in early spring of the Jiwei year (1919), Beihong.
Seal: “Xu Beihong of Jiangnan” (Square seal with incised characters), “Grasping subtlety” (Square seal with incised characters), and “Dwell in the wide house of the world” (Square seal with incised characters)

This work was made for Ji Juemi before Xu Beihong went to study abroad in France in spring 1919. The modeling and structure of the horses is very precise, showing the young Xu Beihong’s outstanding talent for realism. Kang Youwei called it “an entrancing sketch” in praise of his ability.
-Hua Tianxue