Stefano Della Bella's Allegory of Death on horseback

 Salvete Omnes,

the end of Spring is coming up in the next 4 weeks (or like in the US, Springs ends and Summer begins with this Memorial Day Monday weekend) but the terrible war in Europe between the Russian Federation and Ukraine supported logistically, with intelligence & especially with Starlinks by US & EU shows no signs of abating. Recently Ukrainian (the war in the Persian Gulf seems to have better prospects of ending). Several nights ago Ukrainian drones hit a college dormitory in Starobilsk, Luhansk province, and in retaliation (?) for the studnets/kids deaths and injuries  the Russian drones and rockets bombarded Kiev/Kyiv (in Polish: Kijow) and other targets across Ukraine last night.

 
Longer this war lasts more dangerous and bestial it will become (more on the level of the Israeli wars in Palestine), until reaching the next level as the potential nuclear arms use could be looming on the horizon in Europe. 
so in the spirit of deadly dangers and the utmost & urgent need for peace in Europe (devoid of any real leadership on the part of EU) - allegorical images of Death by Stefano della Bella.

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let us hope the Death will not triumph across Europe like it is shown  in the paintings by Pieter Breugel the Elder (in Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain) and the Younger .

ps

the famous XV century  'Triumph of Death'  fresco from Palermo, Sicily, we will save for another day.

Valete

Apache drawings from Fort Sill, Oklahoma

Salvete Omnes,

on April 13 passed 140th anniversary of the arrival of the first Chiricahua Apaches deported to Fort Marion, Florida (San Augustine) - April 13, 1886. 

From Carli Digital Collections (Newberry Library) comes a set of ink and watercolor drawings created by an Apache (White Mountain) artist Frederick Gokliz, son in law of the famous leader  Cochise, who was deported, along with the Chiricahuas and  Warm Springs as prisoners of war, first as prisoners to Fort Marion in Florida, and then to Mount Vernon, Alabama, until 1894 and finally at Fort Sill, Oklahoma since 1894 to his death in 1901. 

Gokliz drew and painted his plates  most likely at Fort Sill , where they were acquired  for Edward E. Ayer.

warriors - 

  . Apache warrior and a woman on horseback

hunting bear & bison 

more images at the Carli portal

Valete

New Article on horse domestication - DOM2 horse population

 Salvete Omnes,

a short post to a great new article by dr David Anthony et al. - Horse genetics, archaeology, and the beginning of riding.

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from the article

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one of the earliest images of a domesticated (allegedly) horse - from Maykop Culture ware

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enjoy 

Valete

Pilsudski's Coup d'etat or May putsch - 100 years

 Salvete Omnes,

100 years ago, between 12th through 15th of May 1926 Polish former military commander and political influencer marshal Jozef Pilsudski rebelled against the lawful goverment of Polish Republic and led thousands of troops faithful to his person against the lawful government's troops in Warsaw, then the capital of the republic. Pilsudski was one of the heroes and leaders during the crucial period of Polish history 1918-21, but once the country finalized wars and conflicts the political leadership of the state, mostly nationalistic democratic leadership, pushed Pilsudski to the curb, so to speak, and he went de facto into a self-imposed retirement. On May 12 Pilsudski  came out swinging. 

7th Uhlan cavalry regiment , 11th Uhlan cavalry regiment,  1st Mounted Rifle cavalry regiment, 1st Light Cavalry regiment etc  went over to Pilsudski's side and participated in the putsch on the 12th of May. More regiments would arrive during the 13th and onward. 

After 3 days of hard fighting between Polish soldiers and many shenanigans inflicted upon the governmental forces by various  socialist & communist organizations and parties supporting Pisludski (like delaying pro-goverment troops transports from Poznan ) Pilsudski and his colonels broke the will to fight of the president Wojciechowski  and the  Witos goverment.  Circa 150 pro-goverment officers and soldiers and circa 400 civilians were killed by the putschists. 

Finally, Poland would change during the next 13 years of her existence.  Pilsudski was not like Franco of Spain, Pinochet in Chile, or Mussolini in Italy. He had no precise ideology nor concept for his realm.
Until his death in 1935 marshal Pilsudski ruled Poland as the de facto dictator, as the lord and master of life and death of the citizens. He was idealized by the media and any criticism was brutally punished by state (from courts to police and  the officer corps - all fanatically obedient to their commander-in-chief).
In 1931 Polish author Tadeusz Dolega-Mostowicz described the political elites of that post-1926 'colonel' state in his immortal novel -Kariera Nikodema Dyzmy . 

In 1939 Pilsudski's colonels and their Sanacja aka 2nd Republic all came to a crashing end when the territory of Polish Republic was violated and borders invaded by Nazi Germany (and Slovakia) on September 1, and by USSR on September 17. Poland was completely conquered and partitioned between Germany, USSR & Lithuania by October 10th 1939. 

Valete

William Robinson Leigh's Indian ponies, horses & riders

 Salvete Omnes, 

a quick entry - William Robison Leigh (1866-1955) and his equestrian art as available on Wiki Commons ,

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Gilcrease Museum Collection. actually huge collection of Leigh's works  - amazing collection of Indian ponies - oil on canvass.

Pony

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William Robinson Leigh at  the auction house Christie's. 

Sotheby's auction house.

Invaluable portal.

And more Wiki Commons 

Bears in the path

Amazing landscapes of Grand Canyon - 

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Valete