Kupperet hest 1652

This print, Kupperet hest, was made by Paulus Potter sometime in the 17th century. Look closely and you'll see two horses, one patterned with dark spots. The horse, a potent symbol, carries layers of meaning across cultures. In antiquity, horses were linked to solar deities and represented life-giving forces. But here, in 17th-century Netherlands, the horse is a symbol of wealth and status, and the animal’s calm demeanor reflects a society in a state of burgeoning prosperity. Yet, the memory of the horse is more complicated than that. Think back to the horses of the Apocalypse, or the Trojan Horse, a vessel of war. In ancient Greece, horses were symbols of Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes, embodying untamed power. And we see the memory of this untamed power echoing in the spots, a subtle but vital tension that speaks to the animal's latent wildness. The image carries an emotional weight. The horse in this period is caught between two worlds - one of nobility, the other of pure animal instinct.