Showcase 52. Russian ceremonial horse harness of the XVIth to early XVIIIth centuries

This showcase contains items executed in the Royal Stables Office of the Kremlin in the XVIth and XVIIth centuries, i.e. articles of ceremonial horse harness: saddles, horse cloths, holsters, accessories of parade horse trappings.

Russian saddles were highly valued in foreign countries. The form of the Russian saddle did not restrict the rider's movements, but allowed him to use his weapons easily and fire without stopping his horse. In addition to their useful form saddles were lavishly decorated with delicate embroidery, gems and precious fabric, engraving. The saddle of Boris Godunov is finished with very finely engraved fantastic birds, grasses and flowers on the silver frame and lion masks on the curves. In 1637-1638 a group of craftsmen executed a ceremonial saddle for Tsar Mikhail Romanov. Its gold pommel and cantle were decorated with multicoloured enamel, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and diamonds. The seat was covered with Italian looped axamite. Special holsters were attached to saddles to hold pistols. The holsters in the showcase are bound with red velvet and decorated with pearl embroidery.

Both the parades of Tsars and processions in which they did not take part (such as ambassadorial meetings), always featured the "horses of the royal saddle", led by members of the Stables Office. The showcase presents a full set of ceremonial horse harness.

Such "Grand Horse Attire" – a valuable trappings of horses, distributed for ceremonial processions – delighted and amazed onlookers. Saddles, stirrups and harnesses were faced with gold and silver and covered with precious stones and pearls. The horses bore a horse cloth (caparison) of velvet or brocade, a headstall or decorative bridle (ogolov), forehead pendant (reshma), chest band (paperst) and neck tassel (nauz), silver hoops or knee-guards (nakolenniki), and silver chains stretching from bridle to saddle which jangled while horses were moving.

The ceremonial royal parade continued to be an essential part of the Russian court life until the end of the XVIIth century, when Peter the Great replaced it with a new type of procession based on a western European model.