[Knight on horseback - an example of the elaborate ornamentation found in books of calligraphy in the 18th C.]

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Unlike the plain horse studies on this board, this print is a showpiece of penmanship: a knight on horseback built from looping, shaded pen lines rather than drawn with a pencil or brush. Its record describes it as an example of the elaborate ornamentation found in 18th-century books of calligraphy. Writing masters of the period published these copybooks to display their skill, and they often turned letters and strokes into figures, animals, and emblems to show what a steady hand could do. Look closely at the horse's mane and the rider's armor to see how each curve was made from a single continuous line.

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