The historical roots of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna date back to the 16th century. Plans for the Stallburg, a jewel of Renaissance architecture in Vienna, already existed in 1559. They were repeatedly modified, as it was originally intended to serve as a residence for Emperor Maximilian. However, he preferred to live in the old Hofburg. Thus, the noble white horses were given their own palace. The court stud farm in Lipizza near Trieste was founded by Archduke Charles II in 1580; he had Spanish horses and Arabian Barb horses brought there, as they were considered particularly trainable, in order to breed them for his purposes. When the Turks besieged Vienna in 1683, they destroyed a large part of the already newly built “riding school on the Tumblplatz near the Purkgh,” whose founding is documented in 1565. Rebuilt in the magnificent Baroque style by Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, the riding school still appears today in all its splendor.
The origins of this extraordinary art of dressage riding itself lie in the military sphere. Later, the nobility showcased their valuable horses to present themselves among peers and also to impress the ladies. It takes many years for a horse to master this high art of dressage, as they only begin training at the age of four and complete it around the age of ten. Like a ballet ensemble, the white horses dance—though they are born as black foals and only turn white during the first years of their lives. A stallion is allowed to remain black (or dark brown), as this is said to bring good luck!
The light and playful movements with their special elegance inspired the Augarten porcelain manufactory. The sculptor Albin Döbrich had a strong affinity for the Lipizzaner horses—he studied them and their riders very closely and created excellent and highly elaborate groups of figures. In the years 1926 and 1927, works such as Trot, Courbette, In the Pillars, Levade, and Piaffe were created. The artist Karin Jarl-Sakellarios added Spanish riders in porcelain between 1925 and 1937. Horses in general hold a great fascination for the artists of the porcelain manufactory; alongside the statuettes of the Spanish Riding School, naturalistic horse figures were also created, such as the rearing Arabian stallion or the Baroque rearing horse. The production of porcelain horses requires great experience with the material as well as artistic skill. Since the figures consist of multiple parts—a Spanish rider can be made up of up to 70 individual pieces—the porcelain modeler must cast them and, while still moist, join them with porcelain slip (the technical term for this bonding process). Only then follow the first firing, glazing, smooth firing, and naturalistic painting.
As a refined artistic expression of the horse, the art of haute école riding developed, which, however, requires the horse’s voluntary cooperation. “In the Pillars” represents a non-violent training method invented by Antoine de Pluvinel (1555–1620) under Louis XIII with the help of pillars (Spanish: columns).