Saddle with Courtly Scenes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 2008

Saddle with Courtly Scenes
Bone, linden wood, rawhide, and birch bark
Made in central Europe (probably Tyrol), about 1430-60

Accession # 40.66

This is one of about twenty known Medieval saddles decorated with bone plaques. The saddles vary somewhat in decoration, but certain motifs are common throughout. For instance, Saint George, standing over the defeated dragon, appears with elegant couples on most of the saddles. Used in parade, they were probably more ceremonial than utilitarian.

The bone plaques used to create the saddle, probably from the pelvic bones of large animals such as cows, are attached to the core with bone pins and glue. The underside is lined with hide and birch bark.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.