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Small Horse is an engraved print created by German artist, Albrecht Durer. The piece was created in 1505 and is considered a considerable part of the German renaissance movement.
Albrecht Durer drew the horse in the print and shows its profile as a whole as it stands next to a barrel vault which highlights its accurate measurements and height. The viewer will then notice a knight who is wearing a considerable helmet while is shaped similarly to a butterfly and some winged boots. Many have said that the knight is a representation of Mercury or Perseus. It is thought that Albtrecht Durer was inspired by the image of ideal proportions and central perspective and his views on this. This was apparent in the years preceding the year this print was created. Looking at the horse, viewers are able to see that it is small and muscular, with particular concentration on the shaded areas of body and over the legs.
In the print, the horse looks to be whinnying and pawing at the ground with its front hoof. The horse takes centre stage within the barrel vaulted space. The knight sits astride the nervous looking horse which is a clear contrast to the knight's magnificent headpiece. The knight also seems to be shouting an order which may be a clear symbol to correlate to the tight space surrounding them. Again, this reiterates Albrecht Durer's theme of central perspective. In the background of the picture, viewers will notice a burning vase. Although the print is black and white, it is fairly clear that the artist is trying to emphasize the human reason through the eternal fire.
Therefore, this vase is wildly interpreted as being that the unbridled passion which is translated through the centrepiece, which is the horse in this instance, is indeed tamed through human reason - in this instance the knight which is meant to depict the eternal fire through Mercury. Small Horse is a widely symbolic print which is now part of a private collection. This magnificent print has been viewed by the masses and each will have his own idea of the themes Albrecht Durer is attempting to create, but the horse is certainly the centrepoint. The artist is well known for his prints as well as being a German renaissance theorist. Many of his prints were focused on animals (mainly horses) and knights and other figures. His work is still discussed and viewed today.