Probal: The horse preserved forever in Bangabandhu Military Museum through taxidermy
Horse taxidermy has bridged the gap between ancient battlefields and modern-day museum exhibits. This is the story of Probal, the horse and how he found a permanent home at the Bangabandhu Military Museum through the art of taxidermy
Combatting horses in war is one of the oldest military traditions, dating back to ancient times. Arguably between 4000 and 3000 BC, the first instance of horses being used in battle was found in today's Ukraine, Hungary, and Romania. The primary pieces of evidence of horses being galloped into battles were horse-mounted archers or javelin throwers.
Some of the earliest documentation of horses used in ancient India was found in the Puranic texts of the Mahabharata. With the advent of the European military in India by the 18th century, a few Indian rulers incorporated the European style of horses as field cavalry. After the invention of gunpowder, horses were mainly used for ceremonial purposes in the military.
Since its inception, the Bangladesh Army has been using horses as part of an age-old military tradition, especially during the passing out parade at the Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA) and for different military state-level ceremonial purposes. The horse-ridden Adjutant of the Bangladesh Military Academy is probably the most colourful figure during the final day of the passing out parade. His well-articulated commands directed almost every single minute of the final parade in front of the Officer Cadets and the spectators.
To showcase that military tradition to the public, the Bangabandhu Military Museum has taken the endeavour to preserve any of the horses of the BMA through taxidermy after they were withdrawn from service. Anyone visiting the Bangabandhu Military Museum will be amazed to see that the BMA Adjutant is sitting on his well known horse at the Army Gallery.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
'Probal,' a thoroughbred horse born in India on June 4, 2012, was chosen for taxidermy after serving in the BMA for eight long years. Searching for an expert to do taxidermy made the team a little worried, as the number of taxidermists in the country is very limited. Finally, the team succeeded with Architect Tanzim Hasan Salim and found Mohammad Delowar Hossain, a taxidermist at the Armed Forces Medical College, Dhaka Cantonment. Delowar Hossain and his team took on the challenge of doing the taxidermy within six months.
Taxidermy is the process of depicting a life-like, three-dimensional illustration of an animal for undying display in a museum. 'Taxidermy' comes from the Greek words 'taxis' (movement) and 'derma' (skin), which means the movement of the skin. Taxidermy processes involve removing the original skin from the specimens, swapping it over an artificial body, and fitting it until it seems lifelike. In brief, taxidermy is an animal skin representation or skin reflection. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals. For modern taxidermy, knowledge of the objects' anatomy, behaviour, and ecology is absolutely necessary.
In Western museums, horses are preserved for two reasons: as artefacts of great military leaders and to preserve their genes. History's most illustrious military commanders' horses are still with us through taxidermy mounts from centuries past.
'Le Vizir' and 'Marengo,' belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte, were preserved from the past century and exhibited till today. Le Vizir, a state gift from the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, was put on display in the Army Museum in the French capital, Paris, after Bonaparte's death in 1821. Marengo, the symbol of the Austerlitz and Jena-Auerstedt battles, is displayed at the National Army Museum in London.
'Winchester,' a famous horse of the Civil War belonging to Philip Sheridan, is at the New York City museum. Comanche, the pride of the Battle of Little Bighorn for the US Army, was given a full military funeral upon his death in 1890. It was stuffed and displayed at the Chicago World's fair in 1893.
Streiff, a famous horse in the Battle of Lützen (1632), was exhibited at the Swedish Royal Armouries in Stockholm. Lisette, the symbol of the Battle of Poltava in 1709, belonging to Peter the Great, is displayed in the Zoological Museum in St. Petersburg. Phar Lap, the great Australian (although New Zealand-bred) racehorse, is mounted in the Melbourne Museum. Rienzi (later renamed Winchester), a horse of General Philip Sheridan, is mounted at the National Museum of American History.
How was Probal's taxidermy done?
Probal's taxidermy was done just like any other mammal's taxidermy. After careful skinning, all the bones were separated, and the skin was cleaned for preservation in the laboratory. Then, the skeleton of Probal was rebuilt with wires and strong foam mold techniques. This was time-consuming and labour-intensive. Then, the preserved and treated skin was carefully stretched over the mold and mounted structure, then sewn into place, and glass eyes were inserted.
The horse's original jawbone and teeth were used after being cleaned. Thick wires and cardboard, called 'ear liners,' were used to hold up the ears. The whole process was led by taxidermist Mohammad Delowar Hossain, who was also an active worker in the process.
Horse taxidermy is a little expensive due to its rare taxidermy mounts. Like pet taxidermy (i.e., dogs and cats), most taxidermists do not have the knowledge or skill to mount a horse properly in a way that imparts the lifelike realism required. The legibility of taxidermy depends on many factors, like cool temperatures, low humidity, less exposure to light, being cleaned of bugs, and not being frequently touched by oily hands. If taxidermy is well taken care of, then it can last over 60 years or more and still be in decent condition. It can be hard to keep taxidermy in perfect condition.
Modern taxidermy and collection management are missing in the whole country. For contemporary taxidermy, Bangladesh needs well-educated and trained taxidermists. Taxidermy-related works and taxidermy as a subject are neglected disciplines in Bangladesh. In fact, there is no well-trained taxidermist in Bangladesh to date.
In our country, generally, unskilled people prepare animal bodies for academic purposes. The materials and methods used for taxidermy are not scientifically viable. As a result, most of the preserved animals do not last long due to infection from various pests. Taxidermy is hardly recognised as one of the fine arts. That is why it is yet to receive the patronisation it receives.
The writer is presently serving at Bangabandhu Military Museum, Bijoy Sarani, Dhaka.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
