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The Standard of Ur, image courtesy the Trustees of the British Museum. From Sumerian city of Ur, southern Iraq, c. 2600-2400 BCE, Mosaic of shell, red limestone and lapis lazuli.
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Lexington, Kentucky, hit pay dirt in 2010: Not only is Thoroughbred City hosting the World Equestrian Games (the first time on U.S. soil), it’s the only U.S. venue for a landmark exhibition devoted to the Arabian horse. A Gift from the Desert features nearly 409 objects from private lenders and 28 countries; many of the objects have never before left their native countries or been on exhibit in the United States. It is the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of art and artifacts devoted to the impact of the horse in the cradle of civilization.
All the world-class attention couldn’t have happened to a better breed. “The Arabian horse’s partnership with man extends throughout some of the most dynamic and far-reaching epochs in history,” says Cynthia Culbertson, one of the leading experts on Arabian horse history, as well as a curator for the exhibition. “From King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, to the mighty pharaohs of Egypt and sheikhs, pashas and princes of the Near East, from Napoleon to U.S. presidents — the Arabian has transcended cultures to become an enduring symbol of beauty, nobility, and pride.”
Among the objects on display is one of the most famous artifacts in antiquity: the 4,500 year-old Standard of Ur, found in a burial chamber in the Sumerian Royal Cemetery in Iraq. Other priceless pieces include the robes and dagger of T.E. Lawrence, the British officer better known as Lawrence of Arabia; Egyptian 18th dynasty relief fragments depicting horses during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten; embellished saddles and bridles from the Ottoman Empire; and the Kikkuli Text, the oldest known treatise on horse training, written in cuneiform script on a clay tablet nearly 3,500 years ago.
It’s enough to make the Bluegrass State more than a little proud. “This landmark exhibition can only be seen in Kentucky, which further demonstrates the commonwealth's leadership in the equine world,” says Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear. “The exhibition and World Equestrian Games coming to Kentucky in the same year are a unique opportunity to see the best of the past, present, and future of the world’s most beautiful and influential animal — the horse.”
Read more about the World Equestrian Games in our July 2010 issue.
