Description
Three horse-mounted Knights, most probably The King of Ireland of ancient lore accompanied by two royal guards. The mythical figure of the King of Ireland is holding a royal scepter and a heraldic banner emblazoned with the symbol of Ireland while his knights simply hold up banners. Executed in pen and three colors of ink and ink wash: drawing on heavy laid paper, 7 ½” H x 10 7/8” W.
While at first glance this drawing appears to be an old master drawing much in the manner of 16th/17th century Dutch or Flemish etchings, most probably it dates to the late 18th/19th century. This conclusion can also be reinforced by an examination of the iconography, the depiction of the animated horses and the military uniformed knights as well as the draftsmanship and attention to meticulous details which are also reminiscent of German draftsmanship of the Northern Renaissance Period.
In its final analysis, we may conclude that this is a Romanticized depiction of ancient Irish historical figures from a medieval, mythical, independent Irish Kingdom of the Irish folklore.
