How NOT to Read Equestrian Statues

This is one myth of reading art you can dismiss

Photo by Céline Druguet on Unsplash

On several occasions, I have come across the seductively simple rule-of-thumb for determining the symbolic meaning of equestrian monuments.

It goes like this:

If the horse represented has two legs in the air, then the rider of the horse made his final stand in battle; if the…