About this sheet
1678 Baroque Dressage Training Horse at the Pillar – Georg Simon Winter
This original hand-coloured copperplate engraving depicts an advanced riding-school exercise from one of the most important equestrian publications of the seventeenth century. The scene shows a rider mounted on a finely trained horse performing a collected movement while an assistant controls the horse from a training pillar. Such pillar exercises were an essential component of Baroque horsemanship, used to develop balance, collection, obedience, and precision before progressing to the more demanding maneuvers of the classical riding academy.
The engraving originates from Bellerophon sive Eques Peritus (The Skilled Horseman), published in Nuremberg in 1678 by the renowned riding master Georg Simon Winter von Adlersflügel (1629–1701). Winter served as riding master, stud manager, and stable master at several German princely courts as well as at the Danish royal court. His writings rank among the most influential equestrian and veterinary works of the seventeenth century and helped shape the development of classical dressage throughout Europe.
Numbered "16" at the top, this plate belongs to Winter's celebrated series of riding-school illustrations documenting the sophisticated training methods employed by aristocratic riding academies. The engraving combines practical instruction with artistic elegance, presenting the horse in a graceful collected posture against a broad landscape backdrop. The original hand colouring adds warmth and depth to the composition, making it equally appealing as a work of art and as a historical document of classical horsemanship.
The print offers a fascinating glimpse into the culture of noble riding schools during the Baroque era, when horsemanship was considered an essential accomplishment of European aristocracy. Today, such engravings are highly sought after by collectors of equestrian art, dressage history, sporting prints, veterinary history, and early riding manuals.
This engraving displays beautifully and serves as an exceptional decorative piece for libraries, studies, country houses, equestrian centres, and collections devoted to horses and sporting history.
Authenticity and Display Notice:
This offering is for an original seventeenth-century hand-coloured copperplate engraving published in 1678, not a reproduction, restrike, or modern copy. Any framed images or room-setting visualizations are provided solely as examples of possible presentation and décor ideas. The engraving is sold unframed unless otherwise stated, and the scale shown in framed visualizations may not accurately reflect the actual dimensions of the print.
Condition Report:
Good condition for a print of this age. Attractive original hand colouring. Light age toning and minor scattered foxing consistent with seventeenth-century paper. Please review all photographs carefully.
Framing Tips:
A dark walnut, ebonized, or gilt frame paired with a warm ivory museum mat complements the Baroque subject and original hand colouring beautifully. The print works particularly well in libraries, studies, country homes, and equestrian interiors.
Technique: Hand-coloured copperplate engraving
Maker: Georg Simon Winter von Adlersflügel, Germany, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
