William Cavendish. (Horsemanship) Plate 55. La Methode et Invention Nouvelle... Antwerp, (1657) $325 $325.00

Plate 15. Courbettes sur les voltes a Droite

William Cavendish Duke of Newcastle (1592-1676) was an influential and staunch royalist supporting Charles I in battle until the king was overthrown. At that point, Cavendish moved to Paris and then to Antwerp where he developed a new method of training horses, established a riding school and wrote two important books on the subject; this was one of them, La Methode et Invention Nouvelle de Dresser les Chevaux. He instructed the art of horse menage which became known in modern times as dressage.  He refined the movements of leaps, turns and circles employed on the battlefield into an art form requiring complex precise communication between horse and rider.

This work was so important that it was reissued in London in 1667, 1737 and 1743. 

Engraving with etching.
Hand colored.
13 x 15 inches, sheet.
Repaired small wormholes in margin at bottom.