Who Is the “Polish Rider”?
The Polish Rider (c. 1655), oil on canvas, 46 in x 53½ in/116.8 cm x 134.9 cm, is of moderate size, about half life, and depicts a young man, perhaps eighteen to twenty-five years old, mounted on a slender white horse that is trotting across a dark and barely discernible landscape dominated by browns and deep orange (Plate 12).
It appears to be at either early dawn or late dusk. The subject's face is serious but calm and self-assured, bright and handsome, with regular, square features. He is gazing off into the distance, as if to search out his future destiny. His hair is fairly long and partly covered by a fur cap with flaps on either side that look like they can fold down to protect his ears from the cold when necessary. The equestrian is armed for war, with a saber on one side and a saber or short sword on the other. He carries a mace or war-hammer in his right hand and the horse's reins with the other. A full quiver of arrows hangs at his waist, and the end of his bow protrudes behind him. Both rider and mount sport apparently “Oriental” costume: the man, a long coat extending to his ankles and tied at his waist, and tight red breeches, and his horse, an ornamental horsetail banner hanging from his bridle and blown backward by his movement. From beneath the high saddle to just above the short stirrup spreads a seeming leopard-skin saddlecloth.Man and mount stand out clearly from the dark background, across which they are moving quickly. Rising in the distance behind them is a domed building - perhaps a fortress, church, or some other antique building - and barely visible to the right are a stream and a small campfire. The whole picture unites exotic arms, costume, and scenery with the attractive confidence and innocence of a youth with whom we immediately identify. But who is this young man? What is he thinking? And to what battle does he ride with such confidence? This mysterious picture has haunted viewers, art critics, and historians for the century since it left eastern Europe for Henry Clay Frick's gallery in New York.4