Ceremonial saddle (so-caled German saddle)

The gala saddle preserved in the Esterházy collection is a peculiar specimen of European saddles. The structure adopts the Hungarian type while the embroidery is typically West European. Wholly covered in embroidered silk velvet, the saddle’s pommel ending in a small button leans forward with a slight arc, while the semicircular cantle is hardly taller than the seat. The two rectangular skirts all in one just cover the saddle panels in front and hang down long at the back. Inside the bows and on the seat the cherry-red velvet cover is adorned with a web of arabesque trimming in metal thread, the raised embroidery on the outer surfaces of the bows and the flaps consists of rows of rosettes linked by leaves and tendrils with flowers and leaves. There is no information how and when the saddle came into the Esterházy collection. The embroidery suggests that it is identical with the “German saddle” in the inventory of the treasury taken in 1725.