Passion with Benvenuto di Giovanni

Salvate Omnes,
'loping' along with the Easter spirit, the holiest of the Christian holidays but this year completely 'sold out' by the Roman church, I would like to bring to your attention this XV century Italian painter Benvenuto di Giovanni.

Why maestro Benvenuto - well, he was very good, and his religious art provides plenty of information for the equestrian aficionado and historian, I believe it merits to display some of his artwork here.
Agony in the Garden, Christ Carrying the Cross, The Crucifixion, Christ in Limbo and The Resurrection (c.1491) located at the National Gallery of Ar at Washington DC.

1.

2.



3.
 


4.



Happy Easter

Valete

It is Good Friday with Maitre de Dreux Bude

Salvete Omnes,

it is Good Friday - our Savior was crucified for our sins on this day -
so let me feature the XV century French maestro of brush and canvas who is known by his  'nickname' as Maitre de Dreux Bude, and his Christian name was most likely  Andre d'Ypres ...
well, we will leave the detail of his identity to the art historians and let us enjoy his paintings
1.
 
2.
 
3. Getty Museum Crucifixion


and we see in these two interesting bridles with curb-bits , and the fabulous robe on the official



 4. and why not to add the Resurrection panel
 
Valete

Union 'green' cavalryman - by William Forse Scott

Slavete Omnes,
the American horse soldiers and their equine companions have been always of great interest to me.
I have read many works on the subject, from the Spanish conquistadors at the dawn of horse in the Americas to the Special Forces in Afghanistan during the post 9-11 wars and campaigns of the XXI century US Army.

today, we will take a quick look at the trooper of the Union cavalry  and his military equipment, before he would become a seasoned cavalryman.
There is quite a bit of primary sources on the subject, and  I should use one such book comfortably available for your perusal on the Archive world library platform.

William Forse Scott, veteran of the Iowa 4th Cavalry Regiment during the Civil War wrote The Story of Cavalry Regiment (1893) wrote about mustering, equipping and training the regiment at Camp Harlan, Iowa during the fall of 1681 and winter months of 1862.
 
But first the horses of the regiment:

Nota bene, the saddles and bridles came in January 1861 as recalled William F. Scott .

Trooper's equipment:
 
The trooper's weapons included the heavy US Dragoon sabre and: 
the appearance at Camp Harlan upon marching to the field: 

the amazingly wonderful armor and other additions

and finally what happened to all of this equipment upon some experience in campaigning or the 'rough school of war'

 
maestro Don Troiani is my most favorite painter of the American - Yankee and Southern - during the Civil War - you can find his page with many paintings on Facebook.

Valete

Ubogi a mysliwy

Salvete Omnes
[in Polish]
dzisiaj mamy krotochwilny Prima Aprilis ergo

ze zbioru poezji znanego z ciętego dowcipu a humoru czarnego
imć  pana Wacława Potockiego -
 
Ubogi a Mysliwy

Szlachcic jeden myśliwy a pachołek chudy,
  Gdy mu wilcy koniowi wytargali udy,
Przywiodszy go do domu, postawił przy slupie.
  Sam idzie łój kozłowy skwarzyć na skorupie.
Tymczasem chudzi, wyschli, nędzni , głodni charci,
  Skoro lizną świeżej krwie, jako niedźwiedź barci,
Przypytawszy się do nich ogary i wyżli,
  Nim się ów z maścią wróci, kobyły* dogryźli,
Pan tez żeby ich z tydzień nie gonił do jatek,
  Skoro się psi najedli, uwędził ostatek..

 

Valete

* tu chudy, kościsty  koń wierzchowy -  nie było to wtedy nazwanie  na klacz.

Anegdota o generalach Lubienskim i Krasinskim

Salvete Omnes,
[in Polish]

We dziele zatytułowanym 'Wspomnienia Mojej Młodości' (Lwów, zabór austriacki, AD 1895) autor Henryk Olechnowicz Stecki herbu Radwan załączył anegdotę o swoim wuju generale hrabim Krasińskim herbu Ślepowron i generale Tomaszu Lubieńskim herbu Pomian,
 
którą tutaj w całości załączam:
[29 anegdota, str 226]

''Mój  wuj, jenerał [Wincenty] hr. Krasiński, miał w jednym z salonów swego pałacu w Warszawie kilka pokojów, przedstawiających bitwy, w których uczestniczył.

Jeden z nich, bardzo piękny, na obstalunek robiony przez [Horacego] Verneta, wyobraża bitwę pod Samosiera*; wiadomo, że ten wąwóz trudny do wzięcia, zdobyty był przez polskie legiony, wszystkie główniejsze osobistości są tam portretowane, zapomniano o jenerale Tomaszu Lubieńskim, który tam jednak grał wybitną rolę, natomiast na pierwszym planie siedzi na białym koniu jenerał Krasiński, który podczas tej pamiętnej bitwy tam nie był, bo znajdował się ze swoim oddziałem na innej stronie.[1]

Kiedyśmy raz byli na proszonym większym obiedzie u mego wuja, nim otworzono drzwi do jadalnej sali, goście siedzieli w pomienionym salonie, a jenerał Lubieński przypatrywał się kolejno obrazom.

Stal właśnie przed Samosiera, kiedy gospodarz przystąpił do niego i powiedział:
- Dziwna rzecz, jenerale, ze malarz ciebie nie odmalował.

- Dostateczny dla mnie zaszczyt, żem tam był.- opowiedział Lubieński.

Krasiński poczerwieniał i odszedł.

Stałem obok nich w czasie tej rozmowy.''


Poniżej obraz o którym panowie 'jenerałowie' rozmawiali.

Mości Olechnowicz Stecki nie raz jeszcze zagości na blogu, mam nadzieje, bo zaraźliwe zło z Wuhan szaleje.
Valete
*pisownia orginalna
[1] szef polskiego regimentu szwolezerow gwardii Wincenty Krasiński był przy Napoleonie ale faktycznie w szarzy nie brał udziału.

Lady and Leofric and a white horse

Salvete Omnes,
 
the time is as good as any - so let us travel to the legendary times, well almost, of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and his strongly-willed wife known as lady Godiva or Godgifu of Mercia, although not in the written word, but  obviously looking at  the 'corralled' iconography below. (John Collier's painting above)
in his
there is a bit of nudity, so be forewarned  if you must.

...the history of this Anglo-Saxon Mercian Earl and his wife can be read on wiki, but we are more after the equestrian art that resulted during the XIX and XX centuries as a consequence of this mythic ride through equally  mythic Saxon Coventry (named after a convent where Saint Osburga lived in the VIII century, destroyed  during the future  King Canute's invasion of England in 1014, and which was  re-built  by earl Leofric and dedicated to St. Mary in 1043AD and the town grew around the convent and castle after the Norman Conquest).

I should note that the story is very old, really first 'recorded' by the medieval English monk Roger of Wendover in his Flores Historiarum (ended at 1236AD).
Fray Roger wrote that she had luxurious and long hair, and while in saddle  she arranged her hair around her nude body as to form a mantle that completely covered her body.
Later chroniclers added that she actually rode naked but she was supernaturally protected from the peoples' eyes, and the lonely peeping citizen became the infamous Peeing Tom.
 nota bene, from the Gentleman's Magazine (and Historical Chronicle, from July to December 1826, London) - the tale of lady Godiva, Peeping Tom and the Coventry Fair


 

 

Wiki Commons has a nice gallery of these works of art - for your and mine enjoyment.

 



the Godiva sculptures are very beautiful and powerful at the same time







Valete!