Mounted Patrician

Curator: This drawing is called “Mounted Patrician,” created by Jost Amman, who lived in the latter half of the 16th century. Editor: The man and his horse look so stately, almost comically proud with all the ornamentation. It's as if they're both in on some inside joke. Curator: Ornamentation, yes. Amman was known for his detailed prints, and this drawing on paper shows that skill. Note the texture of the horse's mane, or the rider’s ruff! Editor: It's as much about texture and pattern as it is about representation, isn’t it? Each element is so precisely delineated. Does that suggest a certain social rigidity of the time? Curator: Possibly! Or perhaps the artist simply loved detail! It’s hard to say. But I find that the details allow a viewer to get completely lost in the artwork. Editor: I agree. I wonder what Amman would think if he knew we were still pondering over his mounted patrician centuries later.