Rare Horse Carriages used in South America
Topic: Carriages & Horses

Folf Art, Tramp Art and Popular Art in Argentina
Topic: Carriages & Horses
Folk Art and Horse drawn Carriages.

The recent years of economic turmoil resulted in the rebirth of ancient traditions and crafts. A clear example to this statement is the proliferation of horse pulled carriages throughout Buenos Aires.

This is not a tourism attraction strategy; on the contrary, it’s the cheapest means of transportation for the poor, who in these days of high unemployment and poverty rates have reinvented recycling.

They come out early in the mornings from their houses atop their old carriages, pulled by tired and old horses, and head towards the city to collect all sort of garbage and disposable carton, paper, tin, glass… in many cases in order to get to the heart of all this potential recycling they have to leave their horses and carriages in the outskirts and head into the city with a smaller cart pulled by their own strength for the city’s legislation forbids the use of animal pulled vehicles within the streets of the modern city. The debate around this matter has been rich and in some cases controversial, due to the fact that on one hand they are earning a living while helping the city recycle what in other situation would have been burnt together with the rest of the organic and plastic garbage. On the other hand, this is not an organized work form, hence, after they search for recycling items, there’s a leftover mess that is somewhat uncomfortable. But this debate is not the matter that has raised the need of writing about this matter.

What has raised our attention is the fact that around and together with this alternative mean of subsistence, an artistic form has developed in parallel.

A similar expression of cultural and artistic motives we had found while researching the history of toys, in which the poor margins of society developed true and unique artistic forms of toys made out of handy chips and bits of all sort of materials.

Alike this clever outcome to the fact that these families are enabled to purchase toys –in fact they live in the margins of poverty- horse drawn carriages have been reinvented and styled upon the new times that run. What during the early days of the 20th was the liveliest artistic and decorative expression, fileteado porte?o, in recent days has mutated into a mixture of this lively color contrast and image impact to a new form.

This can be described as a specific type of folk art very close to what was christened as tramp art without being the exact same thing. This kind of folk art is now to be seen in several of these vintage carriages that have been adapted to the needs of the moment. Unlike tramps, the Argentine version of this specific art form is not society outcasts by choice, but impoverished members of what once was a broad working class.

Taking this in account, it appears even more valuable the fact that while working to earn a living taking advantage of anything they can before falling out of society, and even in this terrible case scenario, they take strength in whatever they can to foresee a bright future, even if it’s just through means of these artistic expressions.


See also book on Fileteado Porteno Image Gallery,is a specific kind of decorative art from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Born in the early days of the 20th century the origins of this particular aesthetic form can be traced to the old continent specially among the Gypsies.
Photo Image Gallery.

Fileteado Porteno,Argentina


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Vintage carriages and pure blood horses
Topic: Carriages & Horses
The history of carriages in Argentina



In a Rural country such as Argentina one might assume that historically, this kind of transportation would have been the most common ever. However throughout the Spanish Viceroyalty all sorts of carriages were forbidden in Argentina as well as in several other locations of Colonial Latin America. The reason? It was one of Philip II –King of Spain- last attempts to put a stop to the outrageous excess in luxury by all the Crown’s officials. The justification? They sustained that it was a means through which the local authorities could take control of the limited number of horses and mules available in these territories.

According to the information sustained by some of the most prominent historians, it seems that Lima – Peru- was the first Latin American city to manufacture carriages… Following the social status ranking the first ones to have a personal carriage in the colonies were the Vice Royals, then the archbishop, then local officials, soon wealthy families and downwards…

The first carriage to travel through the streets of Buenos Aires was a chaise that featured a hood and was thrown by a mule. It was specially brought from motherland Spain by lieutenant general of Biscay don Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, governor of Buenos Aires in 1717 and later on founder of the city of Montevideo in 1726. Why only Don Zabala? Because he had specially requested it to the Crown due to the fact that he had lost his right arm in the battle field and, hence, was enabled to horseback ride properly.



Indeed Carriages in Colonial Latin America were the highest luxury ever to achieve. In Argentina, Carriages would become a frequent means of transportation for the wealthy merchants during the 1830s accompanying not only the growth of the local high society, but a blooming of regional commerce that demanded a better means of transport than the traditional mules or horses.

If at first these means of transport were imported from the old continent, the fact that the importation was restricted by the Spanish crown together with the extraordinary high shipping fees for these luxury items, they soon were began to be produced locally. Notwithstanding a single detail, the locally produced carriages were as fine and well crafted as any other one manufactured in Europe.

As follows we’ll point out some of the most traditional models of the Latin American carriage market:

The Luxury break was an open coach car that featured a long box over the four wheels; the seats were parallel to the axes and the driver's seat was higher and in the back. This type of carriages was the most suitable ones for hunting.

Berlinas: christened this way as an honor to their invention in Berlin this was a closed coach car that had four wheels and four seats.

Cabriole: features only two wheels and it was pulled by just one horse.

Sulky or Tilburi: was a light two wheel carriage for people transportation. This was the most popular carriage to be seen in the Argentine countryside.

The Featon was sort of the most popular means of transport, since it was small but featured many seats on the sides.

The local version of the luxury break is the Wagonette featuring a low drivers’ seat typical English style. However, due to the fact that this was one of the most popular carriages in the countryside of the Buenos Aires province, it gradually changed from luxury to practical to fit the needs of these rural regions. Craftsmen and manufacturers of these kind of carriages were part of the Buenos Aires province countryside until recent years.



Bob Frassinetti For more information :Email Bob Frassinetti. Press here to go to The Buenos Aires Art Dealer, our webzine magazine on Art, Antiques & Collectibles made or found in Argentina. The Buenos Aires Art Dealer,Argentina.

Bob Frassinetti. Copyright 2005. Roberto Dario Frassinetti.

Vintage carriages
Topic: Carriages & Horses
Vintage carriages and pure blood horses in Argentina




On the last days of July of each year, Buenos Aires hosts one of Latin America’s most important rural shows: La Rural. This is one of the finest rural theme exhibitions; it’s a gathering point for the latest innovations to be presented in.

Year 2004.

One of the most outstanding events was the vintage carriages and pure blood horses show. It was held at the central arena. The place was packed and the crowd’s reaction to this outstanding spectacle was very warm.

Argentina has a rich cultural history. The countryside and this republic’s evolution were bonded at an early beginning.



Carriages and carts were for a very long time the most important means of transportation, not only for people but for goods that were transported from the countryside production areas to the cities and towns that consumed those products and a large portion was exported to foreign countries.

Those means of transportation were used for several tasks. Though there are not many vintage carts that survived those days, antique carriages have been well preserved up to our days. These were –and still are- very valuable objects for their beauty as artistic creations as well as for the symbolic value they express, because not everyone could have one, only the most wealthy and powerful did.



These historic and cultural treasures have been carefully preserved by their owners in their ranches. Nowadays, many of those have become countryside ranch- high class hotels, and it’s possible to enjoy a beautiful carriage ride through the virgin fields of the ranch.



Also, very much in tune with Argentina’s rural production, pure blood horse breeding has been a prestigious and ever-growing activity, very linked to the world’s best producers such as Saudi Arabia and Europe. These outstanding horses are very often required by some of the greatest polo teams. Vintage carriages also employ these gorgeous animals, for such unique carriages could not be powered by other than the best of the best horses.



All year long, the creme de la creme of Argentina’s high society holds exclusive reunions for antique’s collectors and pure blood horse breeders with outstanding shows and exhibitions. They are held at their countryside estancias. During the last decade these reunions have become an international level kind of event to which many members of the European royal houses, as well as American celebrities attend.



Argentina has a stylish countryside with terrific activities for you to enjoy and relax royalty-like.

See Photo Image Gallery of horse drawn Carriages.

Horse drawn Carriages from Argentina



For more information :Email Bob Frassinetti. Press here to go to The Buenos Aires Art Dealer, our webzine magazine on Art, Antiques & Collectibles made or found in Argentina. The Buenos Aires Art Dealer,Argentina.

Bob Frassinetti. Copyright 2005. Roberto Dario Frassinetti.