Ballpen drawings & Sketches of Old Polish horsemen and horses

 Salvete Omnes

the very end of the year, it has been not a bad year AD2024 ... but for the wars and mayhem all over the world. 

I have not been posting my own drawings & sketches lately. 

So in the spirit of the New Year's Eve,  San Silvestre, Sylwester or la Noche Vieja coming tomorrow night, I am pleased to share  some of my Old Poland horsemen theme drawings & sketches in ballpen on paper, with some gouache and/or watercolor or gesso (some little resizing etc in GIMP and Krita)

..

.

Enjoy

Salvete

Wouwerman - a scene with a saddled horse and wagon

 Salvete Omnes,

three days to Christmas' Eve - we have to go get the Christmas tree today. 

while perusing Wiki Commons I came across this drawing by Philips Wouwerman - originally this artwork comes from the German state collection.  

.

the saddled horse is interesting - long, strong legged and rather hunter-like, long tail and of a round belly, a picture perfect cavalry horse? 

here I colorized, gently, the saddle and his tack, and the huge 'mantelsack' (?) on the back of the pack horse.

 

nota bene the draft horse pulling this wagon carriage have some serious collars. 
enjoy

Valete

Vrancx' forlorn rider

Salve,
March is upon us - time flies. I had some hard disc problem, just had to buy a new SSD, the old new one is kaput, along with the entire content, including my digital sketches - c'est la vie...
So to start with this month, I want to share a detail from a painting by Sebastian Vrancx & Jan Breughel II showing a horseman being shot by a bandit or a marauding soldier.

This forlorn rider's horse, a powerful gray mount, is fully outfitted in accordance with the period tack - a long-shanked curb bit with a single set of reins, a breastplate and a crouper. The tack has additional adornments in a form of leather straps hanging from the crouper right behind the Baroque saddle. Note that the rider is mounted with long, with heavy metal stirrups.
There is a horseman's bag (German der Mantelsack) - a form of a saddle bag - strapped behind the cantle, better seen on the bay horse held by a bandit in the background. Horse is shod on all four hooves,

I hope to share more details of the Vrancx' paintings showing horses and riders, and wagons or carriages.
enjoy