Death on Horseback chasing a Flying Knight - S. Vrancx

Salvete Omnes,

from the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art -
a drawing (c. 1631AD) by the Flemish master Sebastian Vrancx- Death on Horseback chasing a Flying night.

there is a text that translated reads - No man is so clever, nor animal so swift, Death overtakes them all.

Splendid mustache on the flying knight

. The flying horseman does not appear as a Western (Flemish, Spanish, French or German) knight, but pretty much an Eastern European - Polish, Hungarian or Croatian light horseman. Although he does not have a cravat like the fables Croatian riders did, so perhaps a Polish or Hungarian equues. 

Curb-bit with some very long shanks

He is wielding with a nadziak or horseman pick, while Death fires a pistol at the flying rider.
He has a pair of pistols (we see one in a holster) and powder flask at the belt (and presumably a long firearm hanging on his pendant), a sabre at the side and a broadsword under the thigh. 
His booted feet are firmly placed in the typical Eastern European stirrups, and his half-calf boots end with rowel spurs.
All and all a Polish or Hungarian light cavalry officer or companion.

 

the end of his long firearm visible under the horse's belly

enjoy

Valete 

Esaias van de Velde - ambuscades & attacks

 Salvete  Omnes,

a short entry - Esaias van de Velde (1587-1630AD) - already  I posted one entry on maestro Esaias's drawings last year.

So perhaps a few of his works showing his paintings depicting ambuscades and attacks on the travelers etc in the countryside (he was a master of landscape painting).

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. some details from Esaias van de Velde's paintings 

Valete

Saint Hubertus Day and a beautiful chapel

 Salvete Omnes,

Saint Hubertus Feast day and the iconography of the saint and his hunt are not new to my blog.

We will stay in the French kingdom, at the end of the XV century and early XVI century

From Gallica French National Library, digital division,  comes this illumination ( of the Hours of Anne de Bretagne)  by Jean Bourdichon  painted circa 1503-1508AD - 

a groom or servant with warhorse 

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Fantastic relief from the beautiful chapel, dedicated to saint Hubertus himself, built in the Amboise Castle in 1493AD . Incidentally Leonardo da Vinci is buried inside this beautiful chapel. 

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enjoy

Valete

Luigi I d'Este - tassels, bay horse and flowing scarf

 Salvete Omnes,

Luigi I d'Este one again 

here dear Luigi I carries a very long, narrowing towards the tip sword

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a very detailed portrait - a bay stallion, and plenty of tassels 

typically long-shanked burb-bit

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very nice riding boots with a spur of which we cannot see the tip 

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sort of Sassanian Persian or old Medieval chivalry

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splendid saddle with pistol holster and long-barreled pistol

enjoy

Valete

Luigi I d'Este, Marquis of Montecchio & Scandiano

 Salvete Omnes,

Luigi I d'Este, Marquis of Montecchio and Scandiano  - 1594-1664.
Italian imperial soldier and commander, participant of the 30 Years War and the war of Manuan Succession. 
His monumental portrait, by Nicolas Regnier, astride a powerful paint horse, probably a Neapolitan or Spanish war horse (could be Polish too, his head being small and eyes very large).

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Marquis was portrayed wearing the final version of plate armor, a cuirassier version; most likely this armor was made shot-proof, withstanding pistol shot from close quarters if in the melee or hand to hand combat, and perhaps the cuirass itself was proofed against long distance musket shot. Note his long yellow riding boots.
His horse  was probably trained according to the highest Italian horsemanship standard, perhaps the presence of long-shanked curb-bit with rather  relaxed rein - note the tassel on its end, so the reins are split.

ornate bridle

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ornate breastplate with a tassel

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ornate, wide stirrups ..

there is another portrait of don Luigi while mounted, and I will discuss it too later one. 

Valete

Have a nice Sunday with J.G. Pforr's stallions

 Salvete Omnes,
 only 9 days to Christmas - heehaa 

enjoy your Sunday with some beautiful Pforr's horses - XVIII century the 'crème de la crème' of the breeding and riding in continental Europe 

presenting a stallion - perhaps a Spanish, Neapolitan or Lipizzaner? 

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grey stallion (English Thoroughbred?) in training,  a cavesson bridle 

mustachioed, bare-leged horseman riding bareback a chestnut horse

and a nice paint in the foreground

folded blanket as the saddle, snaffle bit 

enjoy your day 

Valete

Francois Clouet - Royal horses and riders

 Salvete Omnes,
long time ago I posted this painting by Francois Clouet (1515-72) - a French master, who was skilled in water media as gouache and oil painting. 

Dauphin Henri II Valois (1519-1559), 1543AD - at Menil Collection, Texas

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monsieur Clouet painted several more paintings of French Valoise dynasts on horseback. 

First, the splendid Francis I (1497- died 1547) - oil on oak panel 

mounted on a splendid buckskin stallion, perhaps a Neapolitan horse?

Francois I was defeated at the battle of Pavia 1525, during the Italian wars

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then his portrait of Henri II on a Neapolitan stallion?

at Upton House, National Trust, UK

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this equestrian portrait of Henri II is housed at MET - NYC.  Attributed to Couet's workshop. - king, in a comfortable and rich riding attirle, appears as a very engaged rider, with a horse whip in hand, perhaps in a style of the Italian riding style of Grisone or Fiaschi. Perhaps there is more symbolism to this painting, as it differs from the three above that in those the dynasts are portrayed as  chivalrous knights in 3/4 armor  and masters of the realm.

canvas on wood panel later transferred to canvass. 

this  chestnut stallion appears also of a Neapolitan - spirited and showing off in a trot or even a passage?

Stallion's harness is splendid, perhaps silver or of metal textile while the saddle is perhaps of the cloth of gold - silk, gold and silver. The saddle has two cinches, woven in the same ornament pattern as the saddle,.

king Henri II died after getting eye-to-brain injury from a splinter hurled from a broken lance wielded by his opponent count de Montgomery of the Scottish Guard during a joust 10 days earlier.

enjoy

Valete

Jan Mostaert's horses p.II

 Salvete Omnes,

Equestrian details from this portrait

in 2020   I posted some equestrian related works by master Jan Monstaer - here the link to my full posting.

detail from this painting - generalized view of a palfrey or riding horse harness 

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variety of early XVI century harness 

the whole wing of the Triptych 

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in this portrait late Medieval equitation on display 

this painting  unfortunately I have no larger resolution in color  - as the harness details are splendid 

But I found B& W photo at the National Museum in Warsaw - 

splendid mule harness

bridle arrangement

enjoy

Valete