Zeven paarden op een rij Possibly 1629

Drawn by Gerard ter Borch II, this sketch depicts a row of seven horses rendered in pen and brown ink. The horse, laden with symbolism, appears across cultures as a motif of power, freedom, and virility. In antiquity, it was associated with gods like Poseidon and Mars, embodying the untamed forces of nature and war. Notice how in this composition, the horses are aligned in a row, pulling one another, almost as if they were contained. It is a paradox, but also a powerful symbol of the domestication of nature by man. This taming of the wild connects to equestrian statues throughout history, from Marcus Aurelius to countless modern monuments. These images serve as assertions of control, where the animal’s inherent energy is channeled by human will, mirroring our own internal struggles to master instinct. It's a dance between control and chaos, deeply embedded in our collective psyche. These seven horses represent a powerful, subconscious pull—a cyclical narrative of domination and freedom—continuously resurfacing in art across time.