The need to remember - Charlie et al.

 Salvete Omnes

Saint George slaying the Evil dragon 

today is another anniversary of 9-11, already 14 years ago. The current tragic  events in American also need our attention, as there is a need to remember. We must slay the Evil dragons.

I remember the day mostly through imprinted in my memory images of burned and still smoldering paper bits,   those millions upon millions of snowflake-like office paper bits floating in the morning air, dimming the sunlight (it started as as a nice Indian Summer-like sunny day), settling on my jacket, hat, skin, pants and boots, as I walked from Manhattan Ave towards the shore of the northern Brooklyn Greenpoint & Williamsburg waterfront on the East River. 

And yesterday, September 10,  a good American, free speech advocate, defender of liberty and right to bodily integrity and choice,  defender of reason, family values and American Conservative, fine father and loving husband - Charlie Kirk - was murdered during his debate-meeting with the young college students  in Utah. He was the most promising young leader among the Conservative Americans... Someone robbed us and our children of a future leader and pathfinder.  So much sorrow...

And I still see the hidden-behind-the screen figure of a young Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, dying from  stab wounds, inflicted by a  racial hatred-filled black man,  slumped below her seat on the floor on a mass transit train in Charlotte, NC. 

She came for a better future than in Ukraine, and found horrible death. Her American dream never took of...  so sad.

 
Nobody came to her rescue, indifference  of her fellow straphangers was terribly unsettling. 

All these crimes pale  when compared with what horrific scale of mayhem is happening in the Holy Land, or the deaths in the Ruso-Ukrainian war.   
Pacem Aeternam to all

Georgsaltar of Laurentiuskirche Scharenstetten

Valete

Easter AD 2025

 Salvete Omnes,

Raphael Santi's Resurrection , currently in Brazil 

it is a beautiful Sunday - Easter Sunday 

happy Easter - wesolego Aleluja, Chrystus zmartwychwstał! Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał  - Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη! 

..

and a very interesting 1420s (XV century) northern German painting of Crucifixion, unknown master

. we can observe wide (woven?) cinches,  richly decorated bridles and tack,  dyed-leather large pommel and cattle saddles with skirts, rowel spur, long-leg ridding with heavy stirrups, and their riding attire of  the period. The gray stallion has his forelock gathered and tied up (Eastern or steppe fashion).

enjoy

Valete

Saddle from the MET AD1400-1420

 Salvete Omnes,

another beautiful Central European (Bohemian or Hungarian? ) parade, bone-ivory, saddle the great American museum - here the site.

Dimensions: Overall ((a) Saddle): 13 5/16 × 20 1/2 × 13 5/8 in. (33.8 × 52.1 × 34.6 cm) 

Overall (b-blanket): 30 7/8 × 27 1/4 in. (78.4 × 69.2 cm)

note the beautiful eagle 

enjoy

Valete

Saddle circa AD1400 - MET

 Salvete Omnes,

a parade saddle from MET -  

Dimension:
H. 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm); L. 20 in. (50.8 cm); W. 16 in. (40.6 cm)

enjoy

Valete

Saddle from MET circa AD1450

 Salvete Omnes,

another beautiful XV century bone parade saddle from the New York City museum 

From the MET comes this description:

The shape, with its low, splayed cantle (rear of the seat), was characteristic of eastern European saddles, but the exact place of origin and original purpose of these examples of elaborately carved bone are unknown.

Dimension: H. 16 1/2 in. (41.9 cm); L. 22 in. (54.8 cm); W. 17 in. (43.2 cm)
Enjoy

Valete

Semana Santa in full swing - with a Crucifixion by Conrad Laib

 Salvete Omnes,

let us pray for peace and end of human suffering around the world as the Easter holiday is upon us.

we, in the Catholic Christianity, are in the Semana Santa - Holy Week/Swiety Tydzien, aleady in the third day of this last day of Lent.
Last year I did a post  about Semena Santa in Spain and Palm-frond like arrangements - you can take a look here.

And  I would like to share this Crucifixion by Conrad Laib (c.1410-1460), active in Salzburg, Holy Germany Empire. 

Apart from the religious subject matter and artistic value, this work contains lots of information about the horses, horse tack and armor and even weapons of the era.

Bridles, spurs, stirrups, bits - a bonanza of material culture .

here clearly a white mule, animal for clergy, with a very sumptuous bridle an saddle  

a do watch again the famous masterpiece - 'The Passion of the Christ' by Mel Gibson (or any other film about the Passion of Christ) 

Valete

A little more of XV century Epiphany

 Salvete Omnes,

since this is the Epiphany weekend, so   let us enjoy  it as it lasts, with snow and wind around and around, and more medieval imagery.

In this post-   the Northern Renaissance master Hans Pleydenwurff painted this  Three Kings altar   for the Saint Lawrence church in Nuremberg.

The altar's central panel is the most interesting per this blog's equestrian theme. We have a cornucopia of horse tack, saddles and riding equipment - very interesting for further study. 

enjoy

valete

XV century cavalry charge ..at Brandenburg Castle, Lauchröden

 Salvete Omnes,

a quick post - but amazing video and event

scan from the video recording by Iron Crown Workshop

Ecuyer and chivalry reenactor  Arne Koets and many fine reenactors of the European Medieval chivalry gathered at Lauchroden, Germany and it resulted in this recording: a XV century cavalry charge reenacted.

The camp was called Feldlager at the Brandenburg, Lauchröden and many reenactors from Poland also came, what is why you are seeing the flag -White Eagle on the red field - of our Polish Masovian Piast dukes in the second row of the charging knights. 

XIV century Armorial de Gelre, foilio 52 shows our king's Louis of Hungary coat of arms and some of our Polish Piast dukes coats of arms, including the White Eagle of duke Siemowit IV of Mazowsze (Mazovia) - he was prince of the Rawa Land, my country...and he should have been our king and not the Lithuanian pagan  aka Wladyslaw Jagiellon.  Nota bene duke Rupert of Legnica was married to Jadwiga of Zagan, the widow of our king Kazimierz Wielki and mother of his 3 daughters who were not allowed to inherit our Kingdom, and the dukes Ruper and Jadwiga  had 2 daughters. 

Photographer Jan Stabl has an album on his page where you can see and admire the reencators from this 2023 Feldlager. Also Bertus Brokamp made some very fine photos available - nota bene on Bertus' page you can see the reconstruction of the leather bard ( horse armor) and many finest points of chivalrous reconstruction and reenactment, like jousting. Burgine site also has photos to beheld and enjoy.

Hail to the chivalry and reenactors! 

Enjoy