Diana Sleigh

Description

The Diana Sleigh was most likely built for the Elector Palatine John William II (1690–1716) to be used for so-called “carousel rides.” These were a popular winter pastime for nobles of the Baroque era: “as pleasure for the nobility, as spectacle for the people”. This one-seater sleigh recalls the two-wheeled battle-wagons of Antiquity, although the wheels in this case are mounted on the runners. Not only are there two tritons at the front, but perched high above them is Diana the goddess of hunting herself. The goddess Fama standing on a ball at the apex of the two runners heralds Diana’s arrival and hence, by implication, that of the lady of rank seated behind her in the sleigh. The sleigh drawn by a horse lavishly decked out in plumes and sleigh-bells would have been driven by the cavalier standing on the cross-bar behind the seat.