TEMPLAR KNIGHT IN BATTLE ATTIRE ON HORSEBACK – original 18th-century engraving

Original etching by Jacques-Charles Bar, hand-enhanced with watercolor

France, circa 1780–1790
Dimensions: 41 cm × 26 cm
Size : 16.2" X 10.2"
Condition: excellent – laid paper, intact margins, clearly visible plate mark

Magnificent and rare depiction of a mounted Templar knight, clad in full armor and wearing the white mantle adorned with the red cross.
The composition, of remarkable balance, presents the figure of the monk-soldier, at once warrior of Christ and servant of the faith, a perfect symbol of spiritual chivalry.

This striking plate vividly illustrates the dual vocation of the Order of the Temple: to defend the Holy Places by arms while remaining faithful to the monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Here, Jacques-Charles Bar succeeds in uniting the rigor of 18th-century academic draftsmanship with the mystical grandeur of medieval tradition, producing a work of rare visual and symbolic intensity.

This engraving comes from the great cycle that Bar devoted to the religious and military orders of Europe, and bears witness to the renewed interest in chivalry at the end of the Ancien Régime.
At a time when the Templars were still surrounded by silence and mystery, this image belongs to the very rare authentic Templar representations of the 18th century, predating the Romantic wave and the myth-making of the 19th century.
Original impressions from this cycle, especially those hand-enhanced with watercolor, are today of extreme rarity on the market.

The antique laid paper, the intact margins, and the clearly visible plate mark guarantee a period impression produced on a hand press, with all the depth and texture characteristic of original prints.
The original colors, of exceptional freshness, accentuate the relief of the horse and the nobility of the Templar’s bearing.

Provenance: private European collection.

An emblematic and rare piece, of major interest for Templar history and chivalric symbolism, ideal for a scholar’s cabinet, a collection of religious art, or a spiritually inspired interior.