Merry Christmas - Wesolych Swiat - Feliz Navidad

 Salvete Omnes,

so Christmas' Eve is here - Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.. 

in Polish tradition tonight all 'Polonians' (old English name for Poles) around the world celebrate with a 12 courses supper known as kolacja wigilijna or 'Wigilia' (Christmas Eve Supper).

May peace and joy rule your Wigilia's table and home.

and these images  come from the Polish National Library digital collection known as Polona. These are old, pre-1939, Polish postcards - 

Wesolych Swiat 

Feliz Navidad 

Valete

Malinowski, Susliga & Goldsworthy - science about birth of Jesus Christ

 Salvete omnes,

one day to Christmas' Eve - time moves without any pause, doesn't it?

the Magi traveling to pay homage to Baby Jesus at  Bethlehem 

A quick entry: 

firstly, I often listen to the podcasts by a Wroclaw University professor of classics, Gosciwit Malinowski, and  his last podcast was, inter alia,  about the invention of the Anno Domini dating  by the Roman provincial from Scythia  Minor, named Dionysius Exiguus.  [professor's podcast is in Polish] in Rome, in  the VI century AD.

Secondly, while Dionysius Exiguus created the concept of year 1 AD, it was Polish Jesuit priest, father Wawrzyniec (Laurentius) Susliga or Suslyga (1570-1640), who in 1605 AD  at  Graz University   presented his doctoral thesis titled 'Theoremata de anno ortus et mortis Domini, deque universa Jesu Christi in carne oeconomia,' bring the birth year of Christ to year 4 BC or shortly thereafter . 

 Nota bene our Jesuit was also a preacher and poet and the astronomer  Johannes Kepler knew of his ideas and perhaps used them to bolster his own theory about the Star of Bethlehem.

 Finally, one of my favorite ancient  history podcasters,  and fiction writer,  dr Adrian Goldsworthy published a podcast on the historical evidence the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. 

 and some XIX century oil paintings on beehives' boards [sic!] from Slovenia - 

enjoy 

Valete

Crown Court Marshal Mikolaj Wolski on Rolka 1604AD

 Salvate Omnes,

two day to Christmas Eve - heeha

**

going back to the famous  Rolka (Stckholm Roll)  and the entry of the royal cavalcade into the ceremonial capital of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, I would like to point your horses towards this detail of the splendid gouache -

Crown Court Marshal Mikolaj Wolski (1553-1630), Polkozic coat of arms, is riding in his 'western' or 'foreign' costume -this Crown Lord and magnate was 51 years old during this splendid entry,

here the same Mikolaj Wolski painted circa 1624, when he was 71 years old

later on Mikolaj Wolski would become the Crown Grand Marshal, and during his long life he was a skilled and successful diplomat, interested in metallurgy  he was  the founder and owner of hammer mills and foundries in southern Poland,

also a patron of arts and especially the much dedicated patron of the Camaldolese Hermits order. In 1603 he purchased land (Srebrna Gora) from Sebastian Lubomirski, Druzyna coat of arms, 

Sebastian Lubomirski

and founded a Camaldolese Hermits monastery in Bielany, Krakow. He was buried there in 1630.

Also he was interested in alchemy (and magic?), was friends with famous alchemist and discoverer of the oxygen Michal Sedziwoj. Sedziwoj ( Michael Sendivogius )was a nobleman of Ostoja coat of arms, apart from his scientific feat was also known as a fine diplomat and perhaps a spy for king Sigismund III in European courts. Wolski and Sedziwoj worked on development of mines, iron works, foundries and metallurgy, and other science-related subjects, and perhaps also into magic and arcane. 

enjoy Valete

Wouwerman - a scene with a saddled horse and wagon

 Salvete Omnes,

three days to Christmas' Eve - we have to go get the Christmas tree today. 

while perusing Wiki Commons I came across this drawing by Philips Wouwerman - originally this artwork comes from the German state collection.  

.

the saddled horse is interesting - long, strong legged and rather hunter-like, long tail and of a round belly, a picture perfect cavalry horse? 

here I colorized, gently, the saddle and his tack, and the huge 'mantelsack' (?) on the back of the pack horse.

 

nota bene the draft horse pulling this wagon carriage have some serious collars. 
enjoy

Valete

Herman Wendelborg Hansen (1854-1924) - mythic West

 Salvete Omnes,

a quick 'Western' or American West post - 

Herman Wendelborg Hansen (1854-1924) was born in Denmark (in the Duchy of Holstein), trained in Europe (Hamburg, Germany and England) and in 1877 AD emigrated to the USA.

He became enamored in the Old West of the late XIX century and conveyed his liking for American horses, cowboys, Indians and landscapes in his works, from watercolor, to oils and etching.

Some galleries with his artwork on Net display - eg Invaluable MutualArt

@ Christie's auctioned painting 

@Christies 

@Christies

Valete

ps

only 4 days to Christmas' Eve  - ;)

Have a nice Sunday with J.G. Pforr's stallions

 Salvete Omnes,
 only 9 days to Christmas - heehaa 

enjoy your Sunday with some beautiful Pforr's horses - XVIII century the 'crème de la crème' of the breeding and riding in continental Europe 

presenting a stallion - perhaps a Spanish, Neapolitan or Lipizzaner? 

.

grey stallion (English Thoroughbred?) in training,  a cavesson bridle 

mustachioed, bare-leged horseman riding bareback a chestnut horse

and a nice paint in the foreground

folded blanket as the saddle, snaffle bit 

enjoy your day 

Valete

J.G. Pforr - more peasant horses & car-stake or stake-brace

 Salvete Omnes,

just for the beauty and enjoyment - works of Johann G. Pforr

the wagon images demonstrate  the use of car-stake or stake-brace*

.

the car-stakes[1] seemed to have been an eastern European invention 

[1] lusnia[ luśnia ] in Polish - in Polish Wikipedia,  and  klonica[kłonica]  which holds the ladders in place - - see the description in  Polish Wikipedia. 
.

and a horse market scene somewhere in Saxony? - 

* Laszlo Tarr, The History of the Carriage, New York, 1969, page 175  & two plates XLII & XLIII.

Valete