One of my favourite pieces of statuary is the equestrian statue shown above It can be seen over one of the doors of the great church of St Hilaire in the town of Melle in Deux Sèvres, Poitou Charentes. The statue, which is almost life-size, shows a figure on a horse. The horse`s front hoof is about to crush a recumbent figure in a long robe or dress. The rider is missing his right foot and stirrup, the horse`s right foreleg has also been broken off. I have read somewhere that French revolutionaries broke it off to `protect` the threatened person, whom they felt was a member of the proleteriat being oppressed by the nobility! However, these limestone statues are fragile and it may be just wear and tear.
Nobody seems very sure what the scene portrays. Some sources suggest it represents the emperor Constantine crushing the Muslims, who were threatening Christendom at the time. Another theory states that it is the local Seigneur protecting the population, though if the prone figure is a woman, as it appears, `Protecting` appears the last thing he is doing! An intriguing enigma....
Bye for now, going to prepare my tea, which MAY contain a more recent horse...
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