The exhibition “Divine Steeds: The World of Horses in the Palace Museum’s Painting and Calligraphy Collections” opened on April 22 at the Gallery of Painting and Calligraphy of the Hall of Literary Brilliance (Wenhua dian) in the Palace Museum.

Running from April 22 to June 21, 2026, the exhibition brings together 55 horse-themed works from the museum’s collection. The selection highlights the vitality and expressive power of horses in Chinese art while showcasing the depth and enduring appeal of traditional culture.

Through its four sections — “Journey and Leisure,” “Pasturing and Grazing,” “Martial Prowess, and “Divine Steeds” — the display showcases 55 paintings and calligraphy works, among which 28 are debuting for the very first time and 20 are national first-grade cultural relics. Highlights include One Hundred Horses attributed to a Tang Dynasty (618-907) painter-, Li Gonglin’s copy of Wei Yan’s Pasturing Horses (Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1127), Six Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum” by Zhao Lin (Jin Dynasty, 1115-1234), Man Riding a Horse by Zhao Mengfu (Yuan Dynasty, 1271-1368), Horses Leaving the Stable by Ren Renfa (Yuan Dynasty), and Kanhuliu from the series Ten Steeds by Giuseppe Castiglione (Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911).