Album Amicorum of Jan van der Deck circa 1592 - carriage driving

 Salvete Omnes,

The Bodleian Library has this manuscript of travel, wonders and signatures fashionable in the northern lands, titled Album Amicorum of Jan van der Deck, from circa 1592AD.

 in this beautiful album there are many an interesting image, including one image of a sumptuous carriage driven an 'auriga' - a driver - seated on the edge of this pleasure coach, in what  appears as one specially created seat in this carriage. 

Also, draft horse team i.e., both horses are of the same color, which would be a sought after image the owners of these vehicles desired and wanted to impress the world around.

tbc

Valete

El dia del Gaucho & Emeric Essex Vidal's gauchos, circa 1818AD

 Salvete Omnes,

a gaucho hunting, interesting war bridle on the horse - noleadoras in action

today in Argentina they celebrate the day of gaucho - El Dial del Gaucho.
Vivat gauchos and the gaucho tradition -

 and enjoy some watercolors painted by a British officer Emeric Essex Vidal(1791-1861) in Argentina's coast and Uruguay during 1816-1818.

The watercolors were published in a book form in London  in 1820. You can peruse them via Hathi Trust site or Archive world library. 

gaucho - wikipedia entry in English.

the gaucho and this holiday have their  epic literature, the most famous is the epic titled ''Martin Fierro'' by Jose Hernandez. 

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

Horse Whips and Quirts on the Plains - as George Catlin saw them

 Salvete Omnes,

a  quick 'gallop' with famous American artist George Catlin via his Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs and Conditions of North American Indians.

About horse whips used by the Great Plains horsemen:

one of the original Plains people - the Pawnee, who dwelled on the Republican River and for centuries gardened and hunted and made war along the river valleys of Nebraska.

so when you draw or paint a Plains warrior do not forget a horse whip on his right wrist :)

And two XIX century Nez Perce quirts - from Wiki Commons

Valete

Hugo van der Goes - Nativity with the Magi

 Salvete Omnes,

so today we celebrate the feast of  Epiphany - and with that we can take a look at the splendid world of the XV century Christina Europe, and ... yes, yes the horses too. 

Monforte Altarpiece - a Northern Renaissance masterpiece by Hugo van der Goes

Maestro Hugo was very skilled in his trade, and his horses are of the finest sort painted during that great XV century anywhere in Europe -the riders and pages sport the high  fashion of the day, while our attention is drawn to a splendid gray warhorse led by a page.

 

spurs - splendid examples of rowel spurs of this period

enjoy your gifts if any given or just enjoy your day and the coming weekend

Valete

Ancient Taras horses and riders - coins

 Salvete Omnes,

ancient polis of Tarento - Greek colony known as Taras, and after the Roman conquest known  asTarentum - was founded by the Spartans in what Greeks called Magna Graecia, or the Italian peninsula and islands adjacent to it. The city grew to become a huge (300,000 inhabitants) polis, and its mints produced some of the more appealing coinage when come to the coin equestrian (and dolphin) imagery of the ancient world.
 The city and Apulia in general was somewhat a center of the equestrian culture, and it is said that under Archytas, who was a mathematician and political leader, reached its apex as per hegemony over Magna Graecia. Unfortunately the coming of Rome, the unsuccessful alliances, first with Pyrrus king of Epirus(the Pyrric War and the sack of Taras) 

and 60 year later with Hannibal (209BC destruction ) during the 2nd Punic War 

spelled their  eclipse from a power a cultural center to a Roman provincial municipium.

Osprey Miltiary Publishing has a book on the so called Tarentine horsemen of Magna Graecia, and perhaps one day I wlll address the horse aspects of that book.

From Wiki Common come these photos of some of their coins - 

military

 and more civilian

Valete