2026 Lunar New Year Exhibition

Central to many cultural practices across unique countries, the horse has long been a prominent artistic subject, symbolizing shared themes of power, movement, and spirituality.
Exhibition
On View Through March 3, 2026
Empire State Plaza South Concourse
 
Lunar New Year
Year of the Horse

In 2026, communities across Asia and around the world celebrate the Year of the Horse. Central to many cultural practices across unique countries, the horse has long been a prominent artistic subject, symbolizing shared themes of power, movement, and spirituality.

In Chinese culture, the horse, known as 马 / 馬 (mǎ), has appeared in art for thousands of years, symbolizing power, beauty, and freedom, especially in works focused on travel, trade, hunting, and military exercise.

In Korea, the horse, or 말 (mal), is considered the zodiac’s most dynamic animal, symbolizing the energetic spirit of the Korean people. In traditional belief, horses were revered as deities that transported souls from this world to the next. In artworks, horses appear in ancient bronze objects symbolizing power and status, as well as in paintings of state events, battles, and everyday life.

In Vietnam, horses (Ngọ) symbolize personal journeys, battles, and survival. In the Thai Zodiac, people born in the Year of the Horse or มะเมีย (mamia) will make a pilgrimage for good luck to the Buddhist birth-year temple of Wat Phra That Phrathat.

For thousands of years across Asia, the horse has served as a powerful and visually inspiring symbol in art and culture, and this exhibit presents a select group of artifacts from the collections of museums and institutions in New York State.

Korea, 2nd-3rd century
Equine-Shaped Belt Buckle

Bronze

High-ranking members of Korean society likely wore this horse-shaped bronze buckle or other bronze components related to carriage and horse riding to demonstrate their power.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
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LNY Equine

Vietnam, early 20th century
Yao Ritual Painting of T’ai Wai

Hanging Scroll, Ink and Colors on Paper

Yao ritual painting of T’ai Wai: The High Constable, on a white horse

The Daoist deity, T’ai Wai, the High Constable, is known as a protector of faith and is depicted with a white horse. In the Daoist tradition, a scroll with the High Constable is placed at an altar to prevent troublesome spirits from entering sacred spaces.

Collection of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Bart Nelson Stephens; 85.059.013. Image courtesy of the Johnson Museum.
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LNY Yao Ritual Painting

Northeast China, 6th-5th century BCE
Fitting with Two Horse Heads

Bronze

Horses played integral roles in everyday life during China’s Zhou Dynasty and were symbolic of power, social status, and military strength. Horse-drawn chariots were used in military battles and royal ceremonies, and bronze fittings such as these were both functional and decorative.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
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LNY Fitting with Two Horse Heads

Korea, Joseon Dynasty, 19th century
Hunting Screen

Eight-Panel Folding Screen, Ink and Color on Paper

Hunting scenes were commonly depicted on screens that belonged to high-ranking military members of the Joseon Dynasty. This particular screen dramatizes the hunters’ prowess and abilities by showing them conquering animals, such as elephants and monkeys, that are not indigenous to the Korean peninsula.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
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LNY Hunting Screen

Java, Indonesia, n.d.
Shadow Puppet Representing a Horse

Painted Rawhide, Bullhorn

This leather horse puppet comes from the Indonesian shadow puppetry tradition of wayang kulit, which started in 9th-century royal courts and continues today. The shows are led by a master puppeteer, the Dhalang, and are derived from two great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Collection of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University. Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of the Estate of Louise Taraldson Woods, by exchange; 2008.073.024. Image courtesy of the Johnson Museum
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LNY Shadow Puppet

China, Northern Wei Dynasty, ca. 386-534
Pack Horse

Clay, Ceramic

Sculptures of horses carrying heavy packs were commonly found in tombs of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is believed that their presence signified the burial site of a person of high rank and may have served as a means of transportation in the afterlife.

Brooklyn Museum
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LNY Pack Horse

Thailand or Cambodia, c. early 13th century
Palanquin Ring with Demon Battling a Horse

Bronze

This bronze ring decorated the poles of a palanquin, a covered portable litter used to transport nobility. This ornate, functional ring depicts a horse, symbolic of strength and courage, in a battle with a demon, representative of life’s struggles and challenges.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
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LNY Ring

China, Han dynasty, 206 BCE–220 CE
Horse

Bronze

During the Han Dynasty’s military expansion campaigns, the Chinese encountered the powerful Ferghana horses of present-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. These horses were superior in speed and strength to the Chinese horse and were imported in large quantities, transforming Chinese cavalry warfare and captivating Chinese artisans and artists.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
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LNY Horse