Cavalryman Mounting a Horse 

Luigi Sabatelli made this drawing of a cavalryman mounting a horse with pen and brown ink in the late 18th or early 19th century. It calls to mind the heroic equestrian statues of antiquity and the Renaissance, which were potent symbols of military might and political authority. But Sabatelli was working at a time of great social and political upheaval in Europe. As the Enlightenment ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity spread across the continent, traditional hierarchies and institutions were being challenged. So what does this image tell us about the role of the military during this time? Was it a symbol of power, or a tool of oppression? To understand it better, we can look at the historical context of the Napoleonic Wars, and the role of the cavalry in those conflicts. We could consider the composition in relation to the art academies which promoted particular aesthetic standards. The meaning of this drawing, like all art, is contingent on its social and institutional context.