PU RU (1896-1963)
A Figure Riding a Snowy-white Horse in Mt. Guan
Ink and color on paper, mounted for framing, signed Xinyu, with three seals of the artist Pu Ru, Jiu Wangsun and Ming yi.
47 1/2 x 16in (120.5 x 40.4cm) the painting only
63 x 23in (160 x 58.4cm) with the mounting
Footnotes:
溥儒 關山雪駒 設色紙本 鏡心

款識：天閑當日舊奚官，神駿新回馬邑闌。玉勒金泥生雪色，柳邊輕踏憶關山。心畬

鈐印：明夷、溥儒、舊王孫

Provenance:
Private Collection, New York, since 1960's

來源：
紐約私人收藏，1960年代入藏

When the scroll is unrolled, one immediately notices the equestrian dressed in a bright-red round-collar robe. The red pigment leads one's eye from the figure to the red tassel under the jaw of the white horse, and the three seals enclosing the inscription at the upper left corner, as visual clues linking the protagonist and his horse to the content of the inscription: the groom is leisurely riding on a recently arrived tribute shenjun (exceptional horse) harnessed with jade and gilt decorations. Strolling under the willow trees, the horse misses its old days in Mt. Guan (located at the Northwest of China, a place known for raising imported Central Asian horses in the dynastic times.)

Throughout Chinese painting history, the motif of the 'Groom in red robe' has also been revisited frequently. It is certain that this lot belongs to this category, which includes artworks like Zhao Mengfu's handscroll depicting the profile of a single official riding a horse in red robes (1254-1322) in the Palace Museum, Beijing. (https://www.dpm.org.cn/collection/paint/234833.html)

In contrast to the earlier groom-and-horse paintings, which usually have plain backgrounds, the present lot features a powerful pine with a robust trunk and sinuous branches. In the middle and foreground, moss-covered rocks lean to the left, echoing the pine's orientation, shape, color, and brushstroke. It is the unified sub-composition that gives the scene a sense of solemnity and stillness.