13th Jul, 2024 9:30 GMT/BST
Heywood Hardy ARWS, RPE (1842-1933)
Horse mounted figures and others at a country house doorway
Signed, oil on canvas, 59.5cm by 89.5cm
Provenance: A Private Estate, North Yorkshire
Provenance: H & P De Casseres, Harrogate
Unlined, all keys present, fair tension but a slight draw/undulation in the canvas top left corner. A little dirt and debris trapped behind stretcher bar.
A few patches of brittle age craquelure, no elevated and no history of flaking. There are a few patches of slightly opened dryring cracs, for example in the blue jacket, the small spaniel. There are a few pentiments visible in the painting, for example the back of the boy on the pony, and the outline of a horse above the pony's neck. Possibly some slight abrasion to the figures in the background and a few other delicate areas such as the outer leaves.
Unevenly cleaned - remnants of thick old yellowed varnish, especially visible in the sky, and some slighly milky patches in the dark areas. Slightly uneven upper varnish layer, with some light dirt and surface accretions and minor dark drips in the sky. The varnish appears slightly sparkly in certain lights.
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Auction: British, European & Sporting Art, 13th Jul, 2024
Sir Alfred Munnings is rightly celebrated as the master of equine art; his lifelong affinity with the horse is reflected in his insightful and vital equine portraits that capture the grace and power of the animals, and his “Lord Astor on Shooting Stick with Horses” will be sold in the British, European and Sporting Art Sale on 13th July. The painting is a sketch for “A Summer Evening at Cliveden, Waldorf Astor, Second Viscount Astor (1879-1952), seated”, which is held in the Cliveden Estate Collection in Buckinghamshire, now managed by the National Trust. From the same private collection is a watercolour by Munnings; “In the Woods Near Noyon 1918 Attack. Our Retreat” was executed whilst the artist was serving in the First World War with the Canadian Cavalry.
An engaging portrait sketch by the renowned George Romney, which has been in the same family collection since it was painted, will also be offered. The sketch depicts Caesar Hawkins and is thought to have been executed in preparation for a full-length portrait of Caesar, his sister Louisa Anne, and their mother Emma Hawkins (née Adair), which was once in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Four works by one of the leading Victorian equestrian artists, Heywood Hardy are also on offer, hailing from two private collections.
Viewing
Sunday 7th July to Friday 12th July 11am-4pm and morning of sale from 8am
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