1606 - 1689
Chevaux Tartare
Charles Errard le fils
1606 - 1689The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NYListen to curator's interpretation
Curatorial notes
Charles Errard le fils created this engraving, Chevaux Tartare, at an unknown date. At its heart we find the rearing horse, a motif resonating with potency and vitality. Observe how this symbol echoes across cultures and epochs. We find it in the equestrian statues of Roman emperors and in Renaissance battle scenes, each time embodying power, triumph, and virility. Yet, its roots dig even deeper. Consider the horses of the Apocalypse, where the animal shifts into a harbinger of chaos and destruction. This duality reveals a profound emotional tension: the horse is not merely a beast of burden but a vessel of our deepest fears and aspirations. The Tartar horse rears, not merely as an act of dominance, but perhaps as a mirror to our own subconscious drives, forever caught between glory and ruin.