Alexander der Große und sein Wunderpferd Bucephalus

The miraculous horse Bucephalus, who speaks, foresees events, sheds tears and possesses incredible power, leads Alexander the Great victoriously through his conquests. In medieval knightly culture, close relationships between horse and rider are a matter of course. However, the affinity, the playing with boundaries and the merging of human and animal, as described in the literature on Alexander, requires explanation. Especially in late medieval illustrations, in which Alexander the Great serves as a role model, and often even as an ancestor, for the recipient, this unusual blending of two beings of mysterious origin must be integrated into a value system. With fascinating creativity, the illuminators in early humanist Augsburg and courtly Paris debate the inexplicable nature of this exceptional pair.