Lord Clermont's Bay racehorse Johnny, in a wooded landscape, with a lake and hills beyond

Details

George Stubbs, A.R.A. (Liverpool 1724-1806 London)
Lord Clermont's Bay racehorse Johnny, in a wooded landscape, with a lake and hills beyond
indistinctly signed 'Geo: Stubbs pinxit' (lower centre)
oil on canvas
40¼ x 50 in. (102.2 x 127 cm.)

Provenance

[Presumably] commissioned by William Henry Fortescue, 1st Baron and later 1st Viscount and 1st Earl Clermont, of Clermont Park, Co. Louth, Ireland (d.1806).
[Presumably] by descent through his brother, 2nd Viscount Clermont, until inherited (with Clermont Park) by Charles Henry Trueman Mills, and by descent to
Major J.C.T. Charles Mills, Hilborough Hall, Thetford, Norfolk.
His widow, the late Mrs Charles Mills; Christie's, London, 22 November 1985, lot 11 (£28,080 to the current owner).

Literature

J. Egerton, George Stubbs, Painter, New Haven and London, 2007, pp. 372-3, no. 173.

Engraved

In mezzotint by George Townly Stubbs, published (?) 1777.
Later reworked by John Harris, 1 January 1789.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. Please note Payments and Collections will be unavailable on Monday 12th July 2010 due to a major update to the Client Accounting IT system. For further details please call +44 (0) 20 7839 9060 or e-mail info@christies.com

Brought to you by

Clemency Henty

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

chenty@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2541

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

Johnny was bred in Yorkshire by William Cornforth and bought by Lord Clemont as a colt. By Matchem out of a Babraham mare, he raced at Newmarket with considerable success between 1773 and 1776, and this picture was probably commissioned in circa 1775.

Lord Clermont was M.P. for Co. Louth 1745-61, and later for Monaghan and Dundalk. His maternal uncle James, Earl of Clanbrassil, patronised Stubbs, and Lord Clemont himself probably commissioned another work from the artist: a pointer called Phillis, dated 1772.

Lord Clemont was a keen sportsman and racing enthusiast (he won the Derby with Aimwell in 1785) and was said to have been on intimate terms with the Prince of Wales and Charles James Fox.

More from Old Master & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings & Watercolours Day

View All