Officer Fang’s Barbarian Horse
Barbarian steed, pride of Ferghana,
All jags and angles, well-knit bones;
Two ears cocked, sharp as bamboo spikes,
Four hoofs light, riding on the wind.
Galloping away into boundless distance,
Rightly you trust him with your life and death
Highborn steed, delight beyond compare
You fly through space over a thousand li!
Du Fu, 712-770 AD
Beauty from China’s various regions and eras are gathered together at Gagosian’s Madison Avenue gallery in an exhibition entitled Matter and Memory: Ancient Chinese Art Treasures.