Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Pinturicchio's horses from the Duomo di Siena

 Salvete Omnes,



the Old Year is coming to close, we have the last weekend of the Old Year ahead of us, and then perhaps a better year will arrive.

So today let us enjoy some fine frescoes from the  Piccolomini Library of the  Sienna Cathedral - painted by maestro Pinturicchio and his workshop. 

Maestro Pinturicchio, born Bernardino de Betto  in Perugia, Umbria in 1454AD,  was active during the  remainder of  the XV century until his death in 1513AD. 

so maestro Pinturicchio worked in Sienna on the Piccolomini Library frescoes, monumental paintings showing the story of bishop Enea Piccolomini, who would eventually become pope Pious II, (died in 1464AD).  Cardinal  Francesco T. Piccolomini, future pope Pious III, commissioned Pinturicchio and his crew to paint these stories as frescoes. Pinturiccho  executed these paintings  between 1502-1507AD. \

Ad rem, the horses & riders and ... some dogs

Raffaelle Santi aka Raphael drew this plate 
Enea Silvio Piccolomini leaving for the Council of Basel - 
on the roan horse  there is a gilded curb-bit, large riding saddle, breastplate and sumptuous crouper but steel stirrups
Enea on a gray stallion, very sparse saddle skirt, but a large curb-bit bridle

a favorite greyhound? 

horses and mule are all shod

Enea Piccolomini presenting Eleanora/Eleanor of Portugal to the emperor Fredrich/Frederick  III . In this panel there are more horses, another mule, 

a rider accompanied by a piper and an armed assistant 
A black spirited mule with a fine greed bridle, in the background a noble rider with his armed assistant or page?

variety of horse heads and bridles, curb-bits, and a horse trumpeter 


Enea Piccolomini himself as imagined ? by the artists, with a dark grey horse with a high saddle 

beautiful Eleanor of Portugal and her equally beautiful ladies in waiting, two grey horses in the background  

enjoy

Valete


Sunday, December 24, 2023

Christmas 2023

 Salvete Omnes,

Willem Vrelant's Nativity miniature

Today is Christmas Eve - if  you are celebrating , then do enjoy your special feast with the family and friends, may it be full of joy, tasty foods made at home and happiness.

Merry Christmas to you all, dear friends -:) 

Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia - wesolosci i humoru, pieknej a smacznej Wigilii 

Feliz Navidad...

May your horse, dogs and other domestic animals stay healthy and useful 

Merry Christmas  - may peace prevail and wars cease

and some medieval horses for your pleasure







Valete

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Saint George & Saint Michael by Willem Vrelant et al.

 Salvete omens,



I admire and cherish the XV century European art, especially the manuscript illuminations.
So tonight, with Christmas Eve just one day away, I would like to share with you these several closeups of the splendid illuminations by Willem Vrelant & his workshop - from Google Project on Wiki Commons. 

Saint George - two illuminations (full page 1 & 2 here




Saint Michael - (full page)



a nobleman, presumably, hawking (full page) - the gray horse has a tail tied, beautiful blue tack and a noble steed appearance.



May the evil  be destroyed like the monsters lanced by the saintly knights  in these illuminations.

Valete

Friday, December 22, 2023

Century-Old Polish Christmas cards

 Salvete Omnes,



and so on this Friday the joys of  Christmas are around the corner and with that  family & friends-oriented time in mind I would like to share with you all the old Polish Christmas cards with some horse etc theme - (Polona, Polish National Library digital collection)













enjoy -:) 

Valete

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Give me Eighty Men - on Archive World Library

 Salvete Omnes, 

Christmas almost is here, but today let us celebrate and commemorate another American battle between the Great Plains peoples and US Army. 





today is another, 157th anniversary, of the battle known as the Fetterman Fight or Fetterman  Massacre, or the Battle of the Hundred Slain, fought between the US Army troops (cavalry and infantry)  and Teton Lakota (Sioux) & their Cheyenne allies. 
On archive world library you can borrow a very fine book by Shannon D. Smith - Give Me eighty Men.. The book represents cutting edge research into the battle and its sources and historiography. 

Hail to the warriors and soldiers who fought in this battle, and to their horses - a true American Epic. 


J.K. Ralston's painting of the battle - JK Ralston et al @ copyright

Pacem Aeternam  to all 

Valete

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Horse poems from R. Browning with Baym Shaw art

Salvete Omnes,

we are coming closer and closer to the merry time of Christmas - may this last week be smooth for your family and you -  :) 

Poems by Robert Browning at Archive world library


a short but a very poetic entry - poems from the XIX century famous Victorian poet R. Browning, illustrated by John Baym Shaw.




...





and this epic Napoleonic wars-related poem




and some more horse-related artwork by John Baym Shaw









Valete