Xu Beihong (1895-1953) was an important early pioneer in the introduction of Western art to China and in the adaptation of it to Chinese character. As one of the most acclaimed painters and educators in modern China, he influenced the development of 20th-century Chinese painting.

Xu was born in a village in Yixing, Jiangsu province. He studied painting in his hometown and Shanghai before having an opportunity to go to Europe. In the period from 1919 to 1927, he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, acquiring a solid foundation in the Western academic tradition. On returning to China, Xu became a powerful force for the introduction of Western art through his teaching, writing and exhibitions; his influence was rivalled only by Liu Haisu and Lin Fengmian. After 1949, with the founding of the People’s Republic, he settled in Beijing and became Director of the new Central Academy of Fine Arts and Chairman of the National Artists’ Association.

Horse is Xu's favourite subject matter. This painting reflects the artist's principal artistic concern, namely, to bring together the Western academic tradition of painting and Chinese aesthetics through ink techniques. The work was made in summer 1944, shortly before the artist had a medical operation. It was given by him to Miss Ellen Wilkinson (1891-1947), a prominent member of the Labour cabinet in Clement Attlee's government. It was given to the V&A by her sister, Miss Ann Wilkinson, after her death.