Five Horses by Li Gonglin is a handscroll painted in ink and light color on paper between 1086 and 1094, during the Northern Song dynasty. The work presents five horses, each accompanied by a groom, rendered in a horizontal sequence characteristic of Chinese handscrolls. The scroll demonstrates the artist’s attention to equine anatomy and detail, reflecting the importance of horses in Song society and their frequent appearance in courtly and scholarly art. The scroll features five distinct horses, each depicted with subtle variations in color and markings, standing in profile or three-quarter view.

Each animal is held by a groom, whose robes and postures are drawn with fine, controlled brushwork. The horses are shown with minimal background, emphasizing their forms and the individuality of each animal. Inscriptions and seals are present above and around the figures, contributing to the scroll’s documentary and aesthetic qualities. Handscrolls depicting horses were a significant genre in Northern Song China, often associated with court commissions and scholarly appreciation.

Li Gonglin was renowned for his horse paintings and is considered a key figure in the development of this subject. This work dates to the late eleventh century, a period when horse painting was highly valued among the elite. The scroll, long thought lost, resurfaced in Japan and is now in the Tokyo National Museum.