Acquired directly from the artist circa 1970s

There is a minor surface abrasion in the upper left quadrant. This work is in good condition, as viewed
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Throughout his career, Maqbool Fida Husain has repeatedly depicted horses in his works. The horses are wild, symbols of power and raw energy. 'The horses are rampant or galloping; the manes, the fury, the working buttocks, the prancing legs, and the strong neighing heads with dilated nostrils are blocks of colour which are vivid or tactile or are propelled in their significant progression by strokes of the brush or sweeps of the palette knife. The activity depicted is transformed in the activity of paint.'  (E. Alkazi, M. F. Husain: The Modern Artist and Tradition, New Delhi, 1978, p. 3).

The horse is a personal symbol for Husain. His interest in the subject first began in his youth, through religious stories relayed to him by his grandfather depicting the animal as both heroic and tragic. He also accompanied his grandfather on visits to the local stables, further cementing this interest. Husain has said, "Art has to evolve from your very being, like my horses...I see them as ageless and immortal. They draw chariots in the great epics, they stand proudly in the poorest stables, they are embodiments of strength like the dragons of China." (M.F. Husain with Khalid Mohammed, Where Art Thou, Mumbai, 2002, p. xxii).