Horses have forged a unique and enduring connecting with humans due to their  remarkable blend of intelligence, elegance, and strength. Initially hunted, the horse earned admiration, prompting humans to recognize their utility. Over time, horses became invaluable as diligent workers, a source of pleasure in sports, and even as captivating performers in shows. These qualities rendered them a cherished subject in art, and also in Delft. In this month’s newsletter article we explore the social and cultural significance of the horse in seventeen and eighteenth-century Dutch society and examine its reflection within the Delft pottery industry.

Read more about equestrian elegance, in our in-depth-article from January 2024.

Each with a blue-spotted hide, a blue and iron-red mane and trailing tail, and blue eyes, nostrils, ears and hooves, wearing a blue saddle over a yellow saddle blanket patterned with iron-red trelliswork, and modeled affronté with one foreleg and the opposite hind leg raised above the yellow-edged green top of the blue- and iron-red-marbleized chamfered rectangular base.