Hundred Horses

The Hundred Horses collection draws inspiration from One Hundred Horses 《百骏图》, the celebrated handscroll painted in 1728 by Lang Shining (Giuseppe Castiglione), the Italian Jesuit artist who became one of the most influential painters of the Qing imperial court. Renowned for combining the realism and perspective of European painting with the expressive brushwork of Chinese tradition, the masterpiece remains one of the most remarkable examples of artistic exchange between East and West.

For centuries, the horse has held a special place in Chinese culture as a symbol of strength, perseverance, vitality, and aspiration. Rather than portraying the animals in battle or ceremony, One Hundred Horses presents them at ease—grazing, resting, playing, and galloping across an expansive pastoral landscape. Each horse is given its own character and sense of movement, creating a composition that feels both lively and harmonious.

Rather than reproducing the original handscroll in its entirety, Ekin carefully selected many of its most expressive horses and arranged them into a new composition. Each figure was chosen for its distinctive posture, movement, and character, preserving the spirit of the original while creating a composition designed specifically for the Gold Kesi medium.

Rendered through Ekin's proprietary Gold Kesi technique, the composition unfolds within a luminous landscape of gold. Flowing stitchwork sweeps across distant hills and open plains, while finer, more precise patterns define the horses, trees, and natural details. Different stitch patterns catch the light in different ways, creating subtle variations in tone and texture across the surface. As the viewing angle changes, the rolling hills become more pronounced, while the horses and trees emerge with remarkable clarity. The result is a work that rewards close observation, revealing new details and subtle shifts in light throughout the day.