Wednesday, December 26, 2012

William Cavendish, The Duke of Newcastle 1737


William Cavendish and his groom Procter standing at center and instructing Captain Mazin the Duke's head horseman on horseback, in six dressage movements.
"Les resne du Cauesson atacke au pomme de la selle et pour trauailler les barres et la gourmette sur le trot et galop des cerrles larges" and "Le Capitaine Mazin monte et Monseigneur le Marquis donne.". Lettered under each horse and rider are French captions describing the different instructions.




Images of William Cavendish on horseback at one of his English estates, a whip in his right hand, enacting half turns, canters and pirouettes



Images of Captain Mazin, William Cavendish's assistant on horseback at one of his English estates, a whip in his right hand, enacting the trot and gallop 




Images of William Cavendish demonstrating a new training method with Captain Mazin, his assistant, and a groom  named Palfrenier.



Images of William Cavendish on horseback at one of his English estates, a whip in his right hand, demonstrating dressage movements, with top caption: Pour travailler de la rene du cavesson dedans la vote et de la jambe dumesme côté, d'une piste, du pas, ou au petit trot a Droite, et a Gauche.

'I have been without internet or phone service for the last ten day's, and would like to wish all a happy new year as I missed Christmas.   I trust all had a great Christmas, and mine was great on the beach on Mexico's east coast.   I missed my son's tremendously, but what are you going to do, work calls.  That said, I received an amazing set of copper plate engraving's of the Duke of Newcastle  that I have been wanting for quite some time.' 

Copperplate engravings by Theodor Andreas van Kessel after Abraham van Diepenbeeck from the 1737 second English edition with text in French of  William Cavendish's "A General System of Horsemanship in All Its Branches, a work on equestrian dressage.
Abraham van Diepenbeeck 1596-1675, a pupil and assistant of Peter Paul Rubens was an accomplished Dutch painter of the Flemish School. (FYI, for those in Florida, make sure you go see the fabulous Rubens at the Ringling Museum.)              
 During the reign of Charles I of England, van Diepenbeeck was in England where, besides painting portraits of William Cavendish the first Duke of Newcastle and his family, the artist illustrated the Dukes book on "Horsemanship" which described and illustrated the several points of dressage which every gentleman of the period was expected to master.
William Cavendish politician, soldier, and royalist fought for Charles I during the English Civil War. He established a riding school in Antwerp with several Barbary horses obtained in Paris, and published his revolutionary and influential work on equestrian training techniques, La Methode et Invention nouvelle de Dresser les Chevaux.  with  illustrations of Cavendish skilfully training and riding his horses at his Antwerp menage and his various English estates like Bolsover Castle and Welbeck Abbey. After the Restoration of the monarchy of 1660, the Duke returned to England to reclaim his estates and focus on horse training and riding.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

from: Jim Stockley - A Merry Christmas Wade, and a safe, happy and healthy New Year! Glad you had a great day, was beginning to wonder where you had got to ;-)
all the best,
Jim

Wade G. Burck said...

Jim,
Still here, busier then a Aussie on 2.00 hooker night. Wrapping up the tiger act, and will debut it next week. It's been a grind, training a large act on the road, but I have sure come to appreciate the advantage of a tent situation, with a never changing environment. I recall often the comment's I heard years ago when GGW was in his prime, "I could do the same thing if I had everything he has,"sure, they give him everything, etc. etc." I realize now those comment's were made by people who didn't have a clue. I came to appreciate the man's achievement's after being around him, but after putting together the new act on the road, without the additional stress and work of performing, how he did it on a building show, without the ease of a tent situation, I do not know, and it is difficult to comprehend what it took for GGW to train a large leopard act while performing with elephants, horses, tigers, riding tiger, teeterboard, daughter's dogs, son's goat's, giraffe, spec, finale, animal walks to and from the train, etc. etc. To all the nitwit's who claimed, "I could do the same thing," not on your best day you couldn't.
My best to you and your family, be safe mate.

Wade