Nederlandsche Armée / Wachtmeester der Marechausseen te Paard 1823 - 1827

Jean-Baptiste Madou's lithograph depicts a Dutch mounted officer, his horse drinking from a stream. Note how the officer’s upright posture and ornate uniform contrasts with the horse’s bowed head. This motif of a horse drinking is not new. Consider images of Alexander the Great with Bucephalus, his loyal steed. The bond between man and animal is a powerful symbol. Here, the horse's dependence on water mirrors the army's dependence on its resources. In antiquity, water signified purification and life, and the horse, strength and nobility. However, here, there is a dissonance. The horse drinks, but the classical ruins behind the officer evoke a sense of a glorious past now in decay. These symbols have an unconscious pull. Viewers may feel both admiration for the officer and a sense of melancholy as they look at the crumbling pillars. This image resonates because it speaks to our shared memories of what once was.