A parade of wooden horses: The politics of presentation in the early modern Dresden armoury.

This article examines the use of wooden horses as display supports in the Dresden armoury (Rüstkammer), established in 1590 as a public collection, focusing on their evolving role in presenting mounted suits of armour and parade trappings. From the early seventeenth century, riderless wooden horses were used to showcase valuable equestrian equipment, many originating as diplomatic gifts from Habsburg emperors, conveying political messages of alliance and loyalty. Under Elector Johann Georg I and later Augustus the Strong, the display was expanded and reconfigured to emphasize Saxony's imperial connections and later its Baroque festival culture, notably through the commemoration of Augustus's 1697 coronation as King of Poland. Despite changes and eventual decline in political significance, wooden horses remained central to the armoury's exhibition strategy into the nineteenth century, shaping the museum's narrative and visitor experience.