Interesting exhibit in Chichesteer

Salvete Omnes,
a short entry - a very interesting exhibit to open in the Novium Musem, Chichester, UK on January 25, 2020.
12 years ago they discovered the remains of a man called the North Bersted Man, thought to have been a warrior and a horseman, with some very unusual or even astonishing and spectacular helmet adornments etc. The archaeologists think that he was a refugee from the continental Gaul where Julius Caesar and his legions were perpetrating conquest and genocide on the Celtic inhabitants of the present France and Belgium.
there is this article devoted to the visualization that includes some interesting, puzzling  and primary sources information.

the poster for the exhibit showing the North Bersted Man on horseback - I wonder why he is left-handed?

copyright (c) the Novum Museum

 We can see from the article and visualization contain some interesting elements , but what I find puzzling is the lack of the horned saddle; also the lack of the cinch and rather strange strap that goes down from the horse shoulder phalerae under the horse chest. The very tiny in circumference reins are also puzzling.
Finally, the raider's seat, with the legs being so high, as if using the so called chair seat and that particular faulty 'seat' seems to me to be contrary to the fabulous, and well-sourced, equestrian skills of the continental Celts of Gallia(Gaul) and northern Iberian peninsula during the classical Antiquity.
valete

Prof. Tadeusz Vitulani - konik polski

Salvete Omnes,
[in Polish]

chciałbym przypomnieć sylwetkę i dorobek profesora Tadeusza Vetulaniego, twórcy programu hodowli konika polskiego - ze strony prof. Zygmunta Vetulaniego.
Bibliografia dorobku naukowego prof. Tadeusza.
Tamże jest prezentacja źródeł i prac nad tarpanem leśnym.
Na stronie Wielkopolskiej Biblioteki Cyfrowej jest słynny artykuł naukowy prof. Vetulaniego o koniku polskim z okolic Biłgoraja (1925).

Roczniki Nauk Rolniczych i Lesnych tom XIV. - strona tytułowa.



Valete

Happy Epiphany Feast Day

Salvete Omnes,
yet another Three Kings Day, AD 2010 - :)

I wish you  happy 'Trzech Kroli' aka 'Los Reyes Magos' or Feast of Epiphany holiday.

And taking this opportunity to  share with you  some paintings and details showing horses and horse tack.
First, you can take a look  at the Adoration painting  cerated by one of the late Northern Renaissance master painters  Jan Mostaert, from Haarlem in then Hapsburg Netherlands.
This Adoration was painted between 1520 and 1525 AD.



in this lady's portrait maestro Jan also painted a horse and Saint Hubertus' conversion


 While this painting contains no horse nor horse-subjects it is a spectacular one, -  but then de gustibus and coloribus non disputandum est - said ancient Romans..
                                                       ***
...and a German woodcut from 1503AD by the maestro Albrecht Durer himself



Valete

Durer- Adoration of the Magi (Uffizi)

Salvete Omnes,
so we are in the brand new AD 2020, back in the saddle to to speak.
so starting I would like to turn your attention to one of the Durer's most important works, namely, the  wooden panel from the Uffizi Museum (Florence, Italy) - titled Adoration of the Magi, commissioned by the Saxon prince and elector of the Holy Roman Empire Frederick the Wise.
Religious topic and masterful execution, as you can see in this image from the Wiki Commons

  this beautiful painting has a bit of detail that may be of interest to us - maestro Durer took pains to paint a group of horsemen in front of and behind  the ruined arch.

the German-late Gothic  horseman, although completed in AD 1504 the equipment, especially the high saddle with round skirts, has the look of the Gothic horse tack  - note the horse whip, double reins, curb-bit, wide cinch, cover over the rump. The breastplate, headstall and reins are of one uniform design. The muscular and very much a war horse is shown in collection and perhaps showing off its training and athletic ability. This grey stallion is shod and with a long tail, but no forelock.
 
another German horseman his headgear covered with ostrich plumes

Stradiot or Albanian or perhaps even Turkish lancer with a Balkan? lance with a red pennon, and some sort of a Balkan? shield (painted a bit grotesque).
also a curb-bit with double reins, simple war bridle, and some sort of leather? barding covering the sides of this steed.

rider with a large banner from beyond the arch
 

Interestingly, the black Wise Man Saint Balthazar appears to have the so called Mercury wings with spurs?

Valete

Happy New - 2020 - Szczescliwego Nowego Roku

Salvete Omnes,
Old 2019  is leaving us and Anno Domini 2020 is coming fast this midnight

To all my readers and fellow net travellers:
Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Happy New Year
Feliz Ano Nuevo
lots of  health, passion, many an interesting book to read and art and movie  to see, and plenty of smile every day for the next 12 months -
Let us gallop away into the New Year
Dosiego Roku!

ps
and looking forward to the Three Kings Day - perhaps to study a painting or two - as the Magi are on their way

Valete

M. I. Artamonov - Sokrovishcha Skifskih Kurganov

Salvete Omnes,

the clock is ticking and perhaps this may next to the last post this 2019:
I watched the entire Netflix' Witcher series - for me it did not get better with each episode, so much money wasted; the hose tack in this production is horrid, mix of nonsense, pretensions and bad saddlery ideas. They should have hired some of the experienced European saddlers, like Joram van Essen et al or our Polish saddler Marcin Ruda ( Ruda Sadlery) to create some pleasing choices.

just a link (kronk site) to the color illustrations from prof. Mikhail Illarionovich Artamonov(Артамо́нов Михаи́л Илларио́нович) titled Сокровища скифских курганов в собрании Государственного Эрмитажа.-published as The splendor of Scythian art;: Treasures from Scythian tombs (1969).
The examples of the Scythian art from the Hermitage, just a few examples from the Kul-Oba kurgan 

Kul-Oba kurgan - a lancer

Kul-Oba kurgan - another lancer

 Scythian archers from the Kul-Oba kurgan
 

 Geremes kurgan - Геремесов курган ( Марьевка (Запорожский район) ),Ukraine - mounted lancer against an archer
 

Merdzhani or Merdzhana (Мерджаны) kurgan - late period - a horseman with a rython


  Elizavétinskaya stanitsa(Елизаветовская станица) kurgans -( Kuban Basin ) and one of my favorite animals - the wild boar detail from the sword scabbard discovered in the the kurgan number 16.


Valete
ps
the animal-style steppe art may be exemplified by the deer adornment for a shield that  comes from the Kostromskaya Stanitsa Kurgan numer 1, Kuban Basin.

Kurgan Solokha - Russian book & articles

Salvete Omnes,
a short entry on this last day before the last day of 2019.- :)

Academia has the entire Russian book dedicated to one of the most famous Pontic Scythian kurgans - The Solokha kurgan, the story of the collection by the Russian prolific researcher, academic Anastasia Petrovna Mantsevich ( А. П. Манцевич)- available for perusing or downloading for the future study.
Here you can seen a photo of the famous vessel with the hunting scenes from Solokha.
 
 Nikolai Ivanovich Veselovsky (Николай Иванович Веселовский) excavated the Solokha kurgan and the present site is located on the Dniepr River (ukr. Дніпро,   ros. Днепр, pol. Dniepr  ) not far the town of Nikopol in Ukraine.

Also, you may find of interest three separate articles by Mrs Anastasia P. Mantsevich on or about the objects from the Solokha kurgan-
-The Golden Comb from Solokha Kurgan - Золотой гребень из кургана Солоха (1949)  - from the kronk site.
the large photo of the comb comes from the article


 the second article on the Solokha comb(1962) - from the kronk site.


 another article on the comb and the phiale (patera) -  the kronk site. - it contains another photo of the hunting scenes vessel


- The Parade or Ceremonial Sword from the Solokha Kurgan (in Russian from the annales site, or with large scans of images from the kronk site , but can be translated by any internet translators)

 
Article by M.I. Artamonov about Solokha - the kronk site.

valete

Wesolych Swiat & Merry Christmas

Salvete Omnes,

Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia
Zycze Wam zdrowia, wesolosci i powodzenia, a przede wszystkim radosci zycia... i wielu galopad.



Merry Christmas to all
all the best, health, humor, prosperity and above all the everlasting joy of life.
Gallop away - :)


Valete

Witcher - Wiedzmin - rozne recenzje

Salvete Omnes,
[in Polish]
5 koników na 9 

jako fan cyklu wiedźmińskiego (choć wydana ostatnia opowieść o Wiedźminie z 2013 mnie rozczarowała) obejrzałem pierwszy odcinek The Witcher na platformie Netflixa  - mieszane odczucia, ale co najważniejsze,że Geralt serialowy czyli Henry Cavill pasuje idealnie do tej postaci herosa-mutanta stworzonego przez Sapka, i dzięki temu otrzymujemy postać . Księżniczka Renfri z tego odcinka nie pasowała do mojego wyobrażenia o niej (ani jej tzw banda - np podobała mi sie ta banda w komiksie piórkiem Bogusława Polcha) nota bene Stregobor był ok, a sposób pokazania Cintry i konfliktu wokół królowej Calanthe i księżniczki Ciri etc nie bardzo mi się podobała - bitwa Cintryjczykow z Nilfgardem była raczej żałosna.. gdy scena walki w Blaviken była bardzo absorbująca i dynamiczna - bravo!
Netlfix produkcje są znane z poprawności politycznej, ergo nie ma jej tu mniej.. dobrze, ze nie więcej.
Co prawda już mi się wydaje, ze ktoś sobie wymyślił poprawianie Sapkowskiego - co fajnie skomentował RAZ na twitterze - a to zawsze wychodzi źle.. bo Sapek mistrz wiedźminowski.
Ale oglądam dalej(zachęcony recenzjami min poniżej) i może dzisiaj jeszcze obejrzę 2gi odcinek bo przede mną Yennefer, Tris Merigold i Jaskier etc.. mam nadzieje, ze będzie lepiej niż gorzej - !ojala!


Moim zdaniem strasznie brak mapy i wstępu do całej sagi - brak opisów i nazw, brak może narratora ktory prowadzi widza etc.
Podrzucam parę linków do rożnych ciekawych mniej lub więcej recenzji z youtube.
1. Ponarzekajmy o Filmach -
2. Popcornerd -
3. Jakbyniepaczec -
4. ultra-długa dyskusja o 1 sezonie - Napisykoncowe- jak ktoś chce sobie posłuchać rożnych opinii o rożnym poziomie 'wiedźminowskiego' poznania i ulubienia.
5. Kondzio Player -
plus Culture.pl recenzja pisana pt - "Wiedźmin" - Netflix czyta Sapkowskiego.

chyba muszę przez święta narysować sobie Geralta na Płotce( zwanej Roach (czyli płoć) w filmie) - ale ten pancerz-cośtam skórzanego z kolkami żelaznymi, co to nosi w serialu Geralt Netflixu, nie jest dobry - przykładowo strój Geralta ze słynnej Gry.

valete

- ps może Sapek winien był dostać Nobla w literaturze, jakkolwiek nędzna ta szwedzka nagroda się zrobiła ze ho, ho ostatnimi czasy bo korupcja e paedofilia, et inne wirusy elit współczesnych -  zamiast konfabulującej na potęgę pisarki niby-historycznej. A przy okazji to ów 'szwedzin', który na wręczeniu nagrody dla noblistki  się był wypowiadał o naszej historii, to już obraza i poruta, wprost szczyty anty-polskiej ideologii i fałszu - he, he - gwoli książek, to nie pamiętają psie krwie skąd u nich w Uppsali takie ogromne księgozbiory, pochodzące z rabunków okresu Potopu i Wielkiej Wojny Polnocnej.
Owe fałsze  'szwedzinowskie' dyplomacja IIIRP winna  była zaszarżować z kopiami w reku i rozjechać owe kalumnie niby husaria Szwedów pod Kircholmem AD 1605..  ale gdzież ta dyplomacja polska???

Chilicotin Horse - a branch of the Canadian horse and with some Siberian Yakut horse?

Salvete Omnes,
short entry to keep it going - one may say -
so please find linked this interesting article on the Chilicotin Horse from British Columbia's Chilicotin tribal people (Athabaskan speaking Indian tribe from Canada and linguistically distant cousins to the Navajo and the Apaches). The article, talking about this 2014 genetic study led by dr E. Gus Cochran, was published in 2015.
Earlier, in 2002, the wild horses of the  Brittany Triangle were assessed in this study.
In 2014 there was published this  comprehensive article on the wild horses in Canada, including the Chilicotin horses.
 Here you can read some about the Chilicotin tribe and their present issues, plus a photo of the wild Chilicothin horse. Also here another splendid photo.
 Yakut horse

 Canada Horse

Some of the historic photos of the Chilicotin men with their old horses.
 

 
Valete
ps
Images from Wiki Commons

James Fillis - ecuyer on Archive.org

Salvete Omnes,
our 2019 is rapidly closing, with the beautiful holiday of Christmas still several days away.
so on the gift giving and receiving note perhaps you may be interested in this 'libre' collection of two translations of the European ecuyer James Fillis' famous French work on equitation -

Principes de dressage et d'équitation - the 2nd, 1891 edition - the photos of exercises come from that edition, eye friendly  -
below ecuyer Fillis in the Russian cavalry school uniform?


Breaking and riding, with military commentaries  (American edition here) was translated by captain Horace Hayes, one of my favorite XIX century writers on horse.

Grundsätze der Dressur und Reitkunst was translated by Gustav Goebel( the published 1918 version).

 In pre-war Poland it was published under the title Zasady ujeżdżania i jazdy konnej in 1930.


 

 

 

 

 
Valete
ps
I think I will post the entire chapter on the army horse.