Skokloster Castle - XVII century collections

Salve,
last day of January - time flies, it will be spring soon :)
The Skokloster Castle, Sweden, was built by Carl Gustaf Wrangel, who was a skilled cavalry commander and later a politician, a governor of Swedish Pomerania, today divided between Poland and Federal Republic of German.

The collections at the castle are very fine and diverse, but they are very interesting when comes to horses, cavalry and Polish arms and armor captured by the Swedes during the wars with Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - so called Polonica.
The horse collection special exhibit is here (in large tiff files )- with great baroque saddles and horse tack, and portraits of ladies riding, and a model stable etc.

But there are also some Polish ones - saddles and bridles

also some examples of the winged hussar armor; some of the winged hussar armor suits seem to have been converted later on, or so the appear, with 1670s additions etc

beautiful anima armor

enjoy

Edwin Lord Weeks - North Africa

Salve,
 I would like to add some more images by maestro Weeks
this time from North Africa and Western Asia - Persia- I used to like those old Hollywood movies about the tales of the Arabian[Persian and /or Indian] Nights and even the ones about the French Foreign Legion.
back to the subject -  in the US there are many, many Orientalist paintings within the vast warehouses of many a museum. But we do not cherish them too much nowadays ..
So let us explore some more  the Bostonian's brush work - in addition, you can even read about this travels an adventures in a book he wrote and illustrated himself.
Persia

North Africa

finally the master in his studio

enjoy

Splendors of India - Edwin Lord Weeks

Salve,
beautiful equestrian cultures of India in the art of Bostonian Edwin Lord Weeks

much in common with the Old Poland equestrian culture I dare say 

enjoy
ps
all images are from wiki commons