FEATURED PRINT

BARON D'EISENBERG C.1727 ref: 107HC

Baron D'Eisenberg wrote and illustrated a fascinating book giving a full description of horsemanship, which he dedicated to King George II and to his son His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. In it, he undertook to illustrate and describe the art of training Cavaliers and their horses, the haute ecole from the Spanish Riding School, after the original paintings at Wilton House, Salisbury, England. The engravings of the training of cavaliers are formal in their depiction of costume and equestrian grace, but are also touched with wit and decorative charm. The individual horses are inscribed with the name of their breed and the illustrations of the horses with riders are labeled with allegorical references to humility and wisdom, diligence and hope. Subscribers to the book included royalty and nobility from all over europe. The engraver of these fine plates was Bernard Picart, born in Paris in 1673, who gained honours at the Academy of Paris at the age of sixteen. He was a master designer and engraver and worked in Paris and Amsterdam until his death in 1733.