Staand paard van voren gezien 1565 - 1630

Antonio Tempesta created this etching of a standing horse in the late 16th or early 17th century. The image presents the animal head-on, its muscular form meticulously rendered with fine, closely-laid lines. In its time, the image of the horse was freighted with cultural significance. Equestrian skill was associated with nobility, and horsemanship was part of elite education, with manuals and treatises on the subject circulating widely. Tempesta made many prints of horses, and some were collected into books used as models for artists, craftsmen, and riding academies. Without knowing the original context of the print, it’s hard to say how Tempesta and his audience conceived of its purpose. Was it a demonstration of artistic skill, or was it meant to convey a specific message? To discover more, a historian might consult collections of prints from this period, consult riding manuals, and study the artist’s biography, teasing out how the image functioned within the culture of its time. The meanings of art, as we know, are always contingent on their historical context.