Cuirass Saddle

This splendid crimson cuirass saddle features a high pommel and cantle with expressive depictions of equestrian battles of ancient soldiers against landscapes and cityscapes. The affiliation of the opponents is indicated by the letters SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus, Roman Senate and people) and the half-moon. The lion heads in the center conceal mechanisms that once moved the lions’ eyes and tongues up and down. The gold-embroidered velvet saddle cover is decorated by a broad border with tendrils, flowers, leaves, and cartouches, terminated by a red-and-gold fringe border. This saddle, which originally included riding equipment and a caparison of gold-embroidered velvet, was, along with the gilded burgonet, a Christmas gift to Elector Christian I from his wife, Sophie, in 1589. [...] The considerable number of saddles, weapons, and armor made in Augsburg acquired under Christian I testifies to the great appreciation for the skill and refinement of southern German masters at the court of Saxony.