Lot 292 , John Alexander Harrington Bird (English, 1846-1936), Portrait of the grey Arab stallion racehorse 'Skowronek', oil on canvas, 54.5 x 75cm

John Alexander Harrington Bird (English, 1846-1936)
Portrait of the grey Arab stallion racehorse 'Skowronek'
oil on canvas
signed and titled
54.5 x 75cm
£8,000-12,000
Note: The artist and sculptor, Walter Winans bought Skowronek from Count Josef Potocki’s Antoniny Stud in Poland and later sold him to Webb Wares, who used him as a hack, and eventually sold him to Henry Musgrave Clark, of the Court House Farm stud, near Lewes, where he was shown and used at stud for the first time, coming to the attention of Judith, Lady Wentworth, daughter of Lady Anne Blunt and Wilfred Scawen Blunt, founders of the Crabbet Arabian Stud, also known as the Crabbet Park stud.

Although Count Potocki found Skowronek unimpressive as a colt, having sold him to Winans for £150, the grey went on to be a spectacular stallion and was named ‘’Horse of the Century’’.

Lady Wentworth reputedly turned down an offer of $250,000 from the Tersk Stud, in Russia, and boasted that she once received a cable ‘’from the Antipodes’’ addressed to ‘’Skowronek, England’’!

Provenance: Commissioned from the artist by Henry Vyvyan Musgrave Clark, of the Court House Farm stud, near Lewes, thence, by descent, to the current owner.

Condition:
Oil on original canvas in honest untouched condition which is just starting to sag, lines of craquelure running notably across the top stretcher mark and down below it in the clouds on the left and into the hedge below, further lines of craquelure running through the horse particularly neck and forebody, otherwise looks like it would benefit from a gentle clean, housed in the original gilt gesso frame with is separating a little at the corners but essentially in good orders, framers labels verso.

Sold for £8,000