Horse 12, Brass Horse of Cambuscan, the King of Sarra, in Tartary

A medium-sized brass horse figurine with a slightly abstract and elegant design. The horse stands rigidly on four long, thin legs. The front knees are prominent; the mane is sawtoothed. The figure is attached to a brass base.12. Brass Horse of Cambuscan, the King of Sarra, in Tartary. Between sunrise and sunset it could convey its rider through the air to any desired place upon earth. It figures in Chaucer’s Canterbury Pilgrims (in the unfinished Squire’s Tale), as well as in the fourth book of Spencer’s [sic] Faëry Queen. There is a yet earlier account of a similarly gifted horse (but made of wood) in “The Ebony Horse,” one of the stories included in the Arabian Nights, in which tale the magic steed is ridden by Prince Kamar-al-Akmar of Persia. A gift from Thomas Learmont of Ercildoune, Near the Brook of Goblins.Exhibit label:BRASS HORSE OF CAMBUSCAN, THE KING OF SARRA, IN TARTARY.A gift from Thomas Learmont of Ercildoune.