#carousel horses

unlike the carousels we see today, the hanau carousel was purely stationary and did not move up and down. instead, the horses would rotate in a circle

designed by architect Franz Ludwig Cancrin, who brought his experience as a mining engineer to the carousel project, its powering mechanism is hidden away in an artificial hill below

unlike modern platforms, the center and floor remain stationary while only the outer band that carrying the horses and carriage spins

since 1780, these horses have been through… a lot

over two hundred years old, the carousel has experienced the common difficulties of age and have had many breaks for restoration

on the contrary, it has also been damaged by destructive wars, powerful storms, and nearly lost to an auction that was successfully protested

at one point, twelve of the sixteen horses were even stolen and later recovered and sheltered in a location unknown to the public

the stories these horses could tell lol

on the bright side, the latest restoration was completed in 2016 and the sixteen horses and four carriages have been thriving ever since

Peekaboo Mane

just as it sounds, this mane has a gap that you can look through!

peekaboo manes were an incredible flex in the carousel world, it proved that a company could carve thin pieces of wood without the risk of it snapping

Trojan Mane

also known as roached or chopped manes, this style of hair was given its name for its trojan-helmet resemblance

allan hershell is my personal favorite when it comes to trojan manes. sometimes they blend the trojan mane & peekaboo mane as seen in the first photo below

Side Swept

these manes bring a softer/elegant side in contrast to their energetic counterparts

it also brought great emphasis to the romance side, the side of a carousel horse that always faces the crowd

Flying Mane

similar to the windswept mane but with more volume and exaggeration

sometimes carvers such as parker would combine the peekaboo mane with the flying mane as shown below to the right

Top Knot

this mane is styled as if the bangs are floating or curled into a knot on top of the horses head, giving an energetic appearance

introduced in the 1920s, this style was used by the dentzel/muller company the most