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Lot Essay
There is a disquieting, almost uncanny quality to the woodcuts of Hans Baldung, a sense of inner tension and outer turmoil, which is no less present in this woodcut of horses than in his prints of human subjects. The subject does not appear to correspond to any existing visual or literary sources and the meaning of the print, which is the first in a series of three, remains enigmatic. It seems probable that the three images should be read as a progressive series of a mating ritual between wild horses. Although we encounter images of a sexual nature occasionally in the tiny engravings of the so-called 'Little Masters', it is rare at the time for such explicit scenes to be shown - and published! - on this scale.
The gathering of wild horses seems to take place in a forest clearing at night. The present first scene depicts an aroused horse with an erect phallus in the left foreground, baying in an apparent mating call. Below the horse’s genitals we see a monkey squatting on the ground, presumably a symbol of lust. As a secret observer, a man appears half-hidden behind a tree in the background.
In the 16th century discourse on emblems, the unsaddled horse was associated with libido. In this context, the depiction of the sexual urges of wild horses could be interpreted as an allegory of human desire and lust, brought about by the Fall of Man.
The gathering of wild horses seems to take place in a forest clearing at night. The present first scene depicts an aroused horse with an erect phallus in the left foreground, baying in an apparent mating call. Below the horse’s genitals we see a monkey squatting on the ground, presumably a symbol of lust. As a secret observer, a man appears half-hidden behind a tree in the background.
In the 16th century discourse on emblems, the unsaddled horse was associated with libido. In this context, the depiction of the sexual urges of wild horses could be interpreted as an allegory of human desire and lust, brought about by the Fall of Man.