Nobles’ Interest in Equestrianism and Living Collections in the 18th Century in the Light of Selected Posthumous Registers

Abstract

The article analyzes selected eighteenth-century noble posthumous registers, in which inventories of stables and riding equipment were recorded. It considers the understanding of stud farms as specific living collections in reference to Krzysztof Pomian’s definition of collections and the concept of semiophore. In particular, the criteria distinguishing the creation of a herd understood as a collection are addressed. Due to the fact that the value of the “living collection” of horses also stemmed from that of the riding equipment, it is described quantitatively but also qualitatively, paying attention to the state of use and aesthetic features. The analysis of the material showed that maintaining horses, such as utility horses, and even more so a systematically managed and enlarged herd, required significant financial potential. Only then could it bring benefits that translated into the creation of an aesthetically interesting herd, which could be described as a collection.