Le Barbe. II.

Title

Le Barbe. II.

Description

Illustration of a Berber horse, one of the oldest cultivated horse breeds in the Mediterranean. From "The Art of Riding, or Description of the Modern Horse Riding, in Its Perfection." Published by La Haye, P. Gosse & J. Neaulme, 1727. From Eisenberg's famous riding school, engraved by B. Picard. 1st edition. The work begins with a series of seven attractive plates depicting various horse breeds and their characteristics ('Andalous', 'Barbary', 'German', 'Napolitana', 'Anglo-Saxon', 'Turkish', and 'Arab').

ca. 1727

Artist

Eisenberg Baron von (1700-1770)

Baron von Eisenberg lived in many countries throughout Europe yet wrote most of his works in French, being the most loyal subject of the King of France. His love of horses and riding led to an equestrian career and, ultimately to the publication in French of his work “Decription du Manege Moderne” in 1727 during his stay in England and to which 268 European aristocrats subscribed. It was dedicated to Louis XIV of France.

Historical Description

Horses belong to the genus of African and Asian donkeys, as well as at least three zebra species. The wild forms of the horse species still live today in eastern and southern Africa and in the central regions of Asia. Only in its native North America did the horse die out around 10,000 years ago, and the mustangs living there today are feral descendants of the horses brought by Spanish conquistadors. Horses prefer open terrain as their habitat. They can be found in savannahs and steppes, but also in drier habitats such as semi-deserts and deserts. One of the horse's strengths is its adaptability. This already helped its early ancestors. The horse migrated to Europe and Asia via the land bridges that existed before the Ice Age and conquered different habitats on five continents. Nowadays, however, the horse often takes on a role as a leisure and sports partner and the term pet seems more appropriate. Horses are large and strong and can therefore be used as excellent working and riding animals.