Riders of the Talismanic Horse and the Topless Mother by Evelyn Albrow

Evelyn Albrow was very inspired by the band of hybrid riders gathering speed around the lake in the central panel of The Garden of Earthly Delights as well as the Amazonian cavalcades that are found on ancient amphoras, like Riding Amazone (Side B of an Attic red-figure neck-amphora, ca. 420 BC). Evelyn loves the female energy in the stories of Amazonians who chose a man-free(ish) rebel society and loved their horses and dogs.

The pot is scattered with imagery of rebirth and renewal, plants and regrowth. Evelyn enjoyed referencing mediaeval herbal and botanical illustrations for the hybrid flower people from sources like “Bedford Hours” (1423) and “Circa Instans” (c. 1300).

The talismanic horse draws on the amulets she drew in the Pitt Rivers Museum and is a nod to Bosch’s nude riders. The topless mother references Evelyn’s new life as a mother and all the difficult and contradictory ideals that motherhood is faced with, as well as a song by Nadine Shah titled ‘Topless Mother’, which Evelyn’s kept hearing on the radio. 

Stoneware vessel

84H x 33W cm

2024