Gezadeld paard met soldaten 1609 - 1642

This etching, made by Pieter Bodding van Laer, depicts soldiers with a saddled horse. The horse, a recurring motif throughout art history, carries a wealth of symbolic meaning. In van Laer's time, the horse was a symbol of status, military power, and virility, echoing its earlier associations with classical heroes and gods, such as those seen in ancient Roman equestrian statues. Yet, the weary posture of this particular horse suggests another layer: the toils of war. One is reminded of the horses in battle scenes depicted in the Renaissance, or even much earlier, in the friezes of ancient Greece. The repetition of the horse across millennia speaks to our collective memory of it as both a noble beast and a symbol of burden. The psychological weight of the animal conveys the emotional and physical tolls of war, and connects us to an endless cycle of conflict and resilience.