Johann Georg Pforr - Polish horses

 Salvete Omnes,

J.G. Pforr (1745-98) was active in Western German state of Hesse-Kassel. Being a son of a tenant farmer, he went to work in a mine, injured there he then was hired as a porcelain painter, and from that factory he went on to become a full-time painter. 
Influenced by Philips Wouwermann, Paulus Potter, and  other Dutch painters, he was called a German Wouwermann by his fellow countrymen. Johann Pforr died too early, in his 55 year, and he art remains.

curious bit and kind of interesting headstall & the third rein 

from his 'stable' of horse drawings and paintings comes this piece-  Polish horses of his era. This artwork is held at  Städel Museum in Frankfurt on Main River, western German state of Hesse.

very typical Polish headstall and bridle of the period 

A rider dressed in Polish traditional costume - zupan and kontusz or some other overcoat  and rogatywka/konfederatka czapka or headgear - mounted on a bay? horse holding a paint horse

I wonder if the rider's costume was taken from some Saxon archive, as in Saxony there were Polish-Lithuanian Tatar lancers or uhlan/ulan regiments until 1763. 

enjoy

Valete

Juliusz Kossak, his stud presentation in print from National Museum in Warsaw

Salvete Omnes,

so the Dog Days of the summer have arrived.   

a little short entry 

I truly enjoy the art painted and drawn by the Polish XIX century painter Juliusz Kossak.

some year ago I posted this color version of Juliusz Kossak's oil painting - Mohort presenting the herd to prince Poniatowski.

Polish National Museum in Warsaw has a print (digitalized)  , showing the whole presentation scene in a  different composition, made circa 1870AD, the painting was owned by Mrs Eugenia Juszkiewiczowa.

enjoy

Valete

Remembering the Little Big Horn battle

 Salvete Omnes,

today another anniversary - the bloody battle of Little Big Horn or Greasy Grass - victory of the rebellious Lakota and their Cheyenne allies, with some sprinkling of Arapahoes etc, against the US Army - 7th US Cavalry and their Crow allies.

Chief Gall - one of the architects of this Plains Indian victory of the US Cavalry.

Oglala principal war leader or blotahunka Crazy Horse leading and fighting - showing the way 

..

..
Pacem Aeternam 

Valete

The grand folly begun on the 24th - Russia 1812

Salve,

I have been listening to the '1812' audiobook version of prof. Adam Zamoyski's great work.- Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow.

on this day the 24th of June but in 1812 the great Grand Army begun crossing the Niemen  River from Duchy of Warsaw  into the Russian Empire - the Polish hopes and expectations for the restoration of Poland in her pre-1792 border were at the highest. Unfortunately, the fickle Fortuna   and Napoleon would disappoint them absolutely. 

the huge armies - one commanded by Napoleon and the other by tsar Alexander - 'gathered' around Kown(Kaunas, present day Lithuania), both separated by the steep banks of the Niemen River.

Polish cavalrymen were in the avant-garde or advanced guard of the French army.  Young cavalry captain,

Roman Soltyk, Soltyk coat of arms, was the commanding officer of the squadron of the 6th Ulan Lancer regiment ( commanding officer colonel Michal Pagowski of Duchy of Warsaw army), was  stationed with his command on the Polish side of the Nieman River (near Poniemon, whereas the Russian side of the river had the town of Kowno) that June 1812, these Polish lancers, one of the best Polish ulan lancer regiments,  were attached to the French cavalry division  under general Bruyeres (Soltyk's version - in fact  Bruyere).

On the eve of June 24, 1812 ,  at the camps of the  6th Uhlans a travel carriage pulled by 6 horses and surrounded by a small detachment of the mounted chasseurs of the guard stopped suddenly at the lancers' outpost. 

From the carriage, to to astonishment of those present, emerged Napoleon and Berthier, prince of Neuchatel. They were met by the officers of the regiment and the emperor demanded Polish uniforms for Berthier and he. Napoleon took colonel Pagowski's coat and off duty cap , the ulan's czapka being to heavy said the emperor. He then mounted colonel Pagowski's horse and Bertheir, also dressed as Polish ulan officer, took the other horse of Pagowski.

 2nd Lieutenant Nikodem Zrelski, advance-post commander with his company of the 6th Ulans, went along with the emperor and Berthier, as their guide and scout. 
They rode to Aleksota (nowdays part of Kown/Kaunas, Lithuanian) on the left bank of the Nieman River and there Napoleon reconnoitered the whole Kowno area. The next day the Grand Army marched across into the war and mayhem.

 

Hundreds of thousands  of men and horses would suffer, perish and die during this campaign.

Pacem Aeternam

enjoy

Wilhelm Peter Zimmermann - running at the ring - illustration circa 1613AD

 Salvete Omnes,

a little canter into the early XVII century Hapsburg realms - back in 2023 I discussed the topic of these prints when talking about the quintain. You can read the details of this wedding and personages present & depicted in my post.
The art of Wilhelm Peter Zimmermann was the author of these images, a rather prolific artist who documented events and wars  of this period.

Gottinger Digital Library contains this volume - Beschreibung und kurtze Radierte entwerffung der Füsrtlichen Hochzeit/ So Der Durchleuchtig/ und Hochgeborn Fürst und Herr/ Herr Wolffgang Wilhelm/ Pfalzgraff bey Rhein/ Hertzog in Bayrn... Mit.. Fürstin Fraw Magdalena/ Pfalzgräfin bey Rhein/ Hertzogin in Obern und Nidern Bayrn. Zu München/ im sechszehenhunfert und dreyzehenden Jahr/ den zwölfften Novembris Celebriert und gehalten (Wilhelm Peter Zimmermann, Augsburg, 1614).

When a princely wedding gave occasion to the displays of equestrian, chivalry,  of horsemanship and lance skills in this German state on the eve of the Thirty Years War (1618-148). 

.

Valete

Jan Victors - horses, boots and donkeys

 Salvete Omnes,

groom and the bay or buckskin horse with a docked tail

again we visit the Dutch Golden Age paintings - this time it will be the canvasses of Jan Victors (1619-1679) and equine related detail from his art

From a painting In front of a tavern - from the National Museum in Warsaw, Poland.

a gentleman cavalier astride a black horse 

resting cavalier wearing riding boots while his rowel spurs are cleaned?

a typical cart horse and Dutch harness

...

a ferry boat and a cavalier on a bay horse

.

cart horses

donkeys with pack saddles - details from Victors' paintings

and a camel

and some Oriental or Orientalising riding boots - perhaps also Polish, Hungarian, Ottoman Turkish etc

and a great looking Turkish?  or Persian ? carpet

Valete