Ren Renfa

"Taoist on the Moon Mountain"), was an expert of irrigation works, artist, and a government official of the Yuan dynasty.

[1] He was born in Qinglong Town, Songjiang (松江青龙镇 – present day Qingpu District, Shanghai).

[2] Despite his position under alien Mongol emperors, Ren did not shy from producing works with a political subtext.

"[3] Ren's hydrological works include dredging the area in what is now Beijing to improve the water supply and leading a team to build embankments after the Yellow River burst its banks.

There is a poem written by the Qianlong Emperor (Qing dynasty, r. 1736–1795), who also added some notes in the middle of the painting.

[4] The work was already held in high esteem by the Ming dynasty, as literati painter Zhang Ning (1426–1496) wrote: "Black, Yellow, Red, White, and Mottled Horses.