Renaissance Horse Bit Mouthpieces / Federigo Grisone

Published in Several Editions Between 1550 and 1620

21 x 32 cm

Federigo Grisone, who described himself as a “gentil huommo neapolitano” or Napolitan gentleman, founded a riding school for the aristocracy in Naples, Italy in 1532. He is considered one of the founders of the modern science of horsemanship. Although in hindsight many consider some of his methods to have been quite brutal, it should be remembered that in an age where wars were waged by calvary, the horseman’s ability to control them was a matter of life or death.

Grisone assembled the knowledge of his time on how to train and dress horses and into several works including “The Art of Riding” (Original italian title: Gli ordini di cavalcare). The woodblock prints in this collection come from one of the seven German editions of that book, often referred to simply as the “Ordini,” published between 1550 and 1620. We not able to independently confirm the exact edition, however a handwritten note from a previous owner indicates 1570.