In East Asian culture, horses are not merely a means of transport but a cultural symbol. In Hue during the Nguyen Dynasty, the presence of horses accompanied ceremonial processions and imperial carriages. Even today, that image endures on two bronze urns of the Nine Dynastic Urns - Huyen Dinh and Anh Dinh (the alias of Tu Duc) - like a layer of resilient metallic memory, reminding us that horses once played a role in the life of the former imperial capital.

On the morning of February 5, at the Secret Affairs Institute - Tam Toa Complex (No. 33 Tong Duy Tan Street, Phu Xuan Ward), Hue Monuments Conservation Center officially opened a thematic exhibition titled “Horses and the Long Ma in Nguyen Dynasty Royal Culture” (Long Ma: dragon-horse), offering the public a culturally rich and profound exhibition space in the early days of Lunar New Year.

While horses in the paintings of artist Le Ba Dang encompass a full range of emotions, diverse artistic techniques, and span multiple creative periods, the horses depicted by today’s later-generation artists likewise reveal distinctive, strongly individual styles.