caparison
/kəˈparɪs(ə)n
/noun
An ornamental covering spread over a horse’s saddle or harness.Additional corroboration of the French style of the embroidery - both on the King's Bed and on the suit - derives from its close similarity with that of the horse caparisons and saddles given by Louis XIV to Charles XI of Sweden in 1673....
- Gros specialized in battle scenes, rendering with eclat the uniforms of the officers and the caparisons of the horses.
- Financial constraints came in the way of the project and the king sold elephant accoutrements, mainly caparisons which belonged to the Poornathrayeesa Temple, to fund the project.
verb (be caparisoned)
(Of a horse) be decked out in rich decorative coverings: his horse was caparisoned with coloured ribbons...
- On the fringes of this retinue, lions and crocodiles pounce on their victims while an elephant runs amok, and at the centre is the Navab, enlarged as befits his status, bending from his richly caparisoned mount to slash at a lion.
- Zari parasols, richly caparisoned elephants, glittering gold-embossed palanquins and symbols like Mount Meru and the mighty Garuda became royal symbols of Indonesia.
- Thousands of curious onlookers positioned themselves along the road as well as on top of buildings enjoying the tableaux and floats as they moved in procession behind three caparisoned elephants.
Origin
Early 16th century: from obsolete French caparasson, from Spanish caparazón 'saddlecloth', from capa 'hood'.