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As a teacher at The Hague's Royal Academy of Art, Albert Termote (1887-1978) stood at the basis of the artistry of dozens of sculptors whose works were later placed in The Hague and its surroundings. Partly thanks to his training in Belgium, Termote provided the sculptural and architectural disciplines with a touch of Flemish virtuosity and a little extra drama. This distinguished him from his down-to-earth Dutch colleagues who asserted their authority within the Amsterdam and Arnhem School.

Lancelot Samson was an eager pupil of Termote. Samson's father, the portrait painter Eddy Samson, enjoyed fame as a draughtsman for the newspaper De Telegraaf. Son and sculptor Lancelot Samson settled in The Hague in 1961, where he continued his training in sculpture after studying with Termote.

The influence of Termote's teacher, however, is hardly to be found in the naturalistic depiction of 'Jolian the Horse'. The sculpture is also at odds with the artist's early work. Initially, he made geometric abstract portraits. His early work also consisted of sculptures in which an enlivened form of constructivism set the tone. His preference was for sculptures made of stone and copper.
It is not clear when exactly the change to a realistic visual language took place, but it is known that in 1965 Samson made a portrait of Dr Poelhekke in aluminium concrete. Constructivist points of departure can still be recognised in it. The calm horse, standing on the grounds of the Tesselweide petting zoo near the night shelter, does not show Termote's dramatic or expressionist style characteristics, nor the constructivist tendencies from the early days of Samson's artistry. Horse Jolian' is actually more in line with his naturalistic portraits.