The first part of this Note refers back to Note 4 and the discussion of Lot 121 at Christie's London Sporting Art Sale held on Friday 23 May. Ben Herring's very smart painting of a tandem cocking cart on the road fetched an equally smart £82,100 (this includes the buyers premium)(estimate £40,000-£60,000). It was an exceptional painting for Ben Herring and while Sally Mitchell in her admirable Dictionary of British Equestrian Artists (published by the Antiques Collectors Club,1985; and surely ready for an update) writes that Ben's work was not of the same standard as that of his older brother, J.F. Herring Snr., in this case it came quite close. Certainly two people appreciated its quality and were prepared to go well above the estimate. The name of the 'whip' remains a mystery for the moment. The other pictures mentioned previously were the pair of Ascot paintings by Charles Cooper Henderson (Lot 59) which made a comparatively disappointing £42,500 (estimate £40,000-£60,000). The Alfred Munnings pictures had mixed fortunes with one of the hunting paintings failing to sell and the artist's study of Unsaddling at Epsom going for £300,500 which, without the buyer's premium, fell just below the lower estimate.
The evening before, the British Sporting Art Trust held a private view of the Sale combined with a reception and auction of promises. Over 200 members and their friends attended bidding for lots as diverse as a £2,500 voucher for a Stewart Parvin couture dress to two Members' Seats on the Centre Court at Wimbledon for this year's Men's Final. With such generous donors and enthusiastic buyers (and with previous donations) the 20 or so lots raised £30,000 for the Trust during an entertaining evening.
Saturday 31 May 2008
Tuesday 20 May 2008
Christie's Sporting Art Sale 23 May 08. Note 4.
Christie's London Sporting Art Sale on Friday 23 May contains many good sporting paintings. Munnings' is well represented with, among other pictures, one lovely Exmoor hunting scene, as is the recently fashionable John Emms. The latter's painting of hounds in kennel: Waiting for the Hunt is particulalry fine, although some of this artist's other efforts in the sale are less exciting. However, the reason for writing here is to explore a connection between two particular Lots. Lot 59 is a magnificent pair of paintings by Charles Cooper Henderson (1803-1877) of panoramic scenes: Going to Ascot Races and Returning from Ascot Races [1839] (Estimate £40,000-60,000). They were around 11 years ago and are now making a second appearance, but none the worse for that. In the 'coaching' world there is a feeling that due to their quality they should be purchased by a British gallery or museum. The second Lot is 121: A Tandem on the road to London, dated 1828, by Benjamin Herring Snr (1806-1830); the short-lived younger brother of the better known J.F. Herring Snr, also well represented in the sale.
As is now becoming apparent, Cooper Henderson's paintings of coaches and carriages often include portraits. In Returning from Ascot, the Earl of Chesterfield drives his own 'drag' and the artist stands in a landau in which are portrayed his parents, John and Georgiana Henderson, both artists in the own right. While Cooper Henderson was still an amateur he drew a very fine and amusing lithograph titled The Park, "T'was post meridian half past four". This large, rare print is a view of those congregating by the statue of Achilles near to today's Hyde Park Corner. It was published in 1827 or 1828. Among a number of portraits are those of Fitzroy Stanhope, Lord Algernon St Maur, Mr S.W. Fores, the print publisher, a Colonel Bridges, and the artist. This little group, including Henderson, were noted amateur carriage drivers and apparently assembled each afternoon during the season to pass comment on the vehicles that surrounded them; they later called themselves The Critics.
Herring's painting is an extremely polished picture of a type of tandem gig known as a cocking cart. The immaculate gentleman driver, usually named a Whip, controls a pair well-matched bay horses from his high seat, a groom behind him, set in an open road landscape. The provenance for this painting is that it came through a Colonel Bridges [1821-1897] to his son H.C.B.Bridges [1877-?1934], but the present vendor does not know the origin of the painting before that. The notes to the Lot include the remark that the assured young man driving the tandem "may be a member of the Bridges family, who had an estate at Highfield near Southampton." Although the crest painted on the side of the cocking cart and those embellishing the horses' harness are a little indistinct, they could well be the coronet and profile moor's head used by a widespread Bridges family. However, by the dates, Henderson's Colonel Bridges is plainly not the same person as the Colonel Bridges of Highfield (and also of Overton, Hants).
Another clue lies on the milestone in Herring's painting: "CXV miles from London." The 115 miles will not be as the crow flies, but a good idea of distances can be gleaned from Pattison's Roads. This volume, first published in 1828 and running to more than 18 editions, gives the distances to every town, village and turnpike gate out of London on the major coach roads. Southampton is 77 miles, and Overton much less! In fact this gazetteer provides more than 50 possible places where the picture might have been painted, presumably close to the subject portrait's home. The volume also names the more important houses and their owners near each coach stop or 'stage'. A George Bridges Esq lived at Astley Lodge, Tog Hill, near Bath (106miles from London), and there is a memorial in the church at Keynsham, Bristol (114 miles) to a Sir Thomas Bridges. For want of a better idea, my money therefore goes on a 'Somerset' Bridges who had himself portrayed on the London road by Benjamin Herring in his recently built and very smart gig, perhaps on his way to Hyde Park Corner?
As is now becoming apparent, Cooper Henderson's paintings of coaches and carriages often include portraits. In Returning from Ascot, the Earl of Chesterfield drives his own 'drag' and the artist stands in a landau in which are portrayed his parents, John and Georgiana Henderson, both artists in the own right. While Cooper Henderson was still an amateur he drew a very fine and amusing lithograph titled The Park, "T'was post meridian half past four". This large, rare print is a view of those congregating by the statue of Achilles near to today's Hyde Park Corner. It was published in 1827 or 1828. Among a number of portraits are those of Fitzroy Stanhope, Lord Algernon St Maur, Mr S.W. Fores, the print publisher, a Colonel Bridges, and the artist. This little group, including Henderson, were noted amateur carriage drivers and apparently assembled each afternoon during the season to pass comment on the vehicles that surrounded them; they later called themselves The Critics.
Herring's painting is an extremely polished picture of a type of tandem gig known as a cocking cart. The immaculate gentleman driver, usually named a Whip, controls a pair well-matched bay horses from his high seat, a groom behind him, set in an open road landscape. The provenance for this painting is that it came through a Colonel Bridges [1821-1897] to his son H.C.B.Bridges [1877-?1934], but the present vendor does not know the origin of the painting before that. The notes to the Lot include the remark that the assured young man driving the tandem "may be a member of the Bridges family, who had an estate at Highfield near Southampton." Although the crest painted on the side of the cocking cart and those embellishing the horses' harness are a little indistinct, they could well be the coronet and profile moor's head used by a widespread Bridges family. However, by the dates, Henderson's Colonel Bridges is plainly not the same person as the Colonel Bridges of Highfield (and also of Overton, Hants).
Another clue lies on the milestone in Herring's painting: "CXV miles from London." The 115 miles will not be as the crow flies, but a good idea of distances can be gleaned from Pattison's Roads. This volume, first published in 1828 and running to more than 18 editions, gives the distances to every town, village and turnpike gate out of London on the major coach roads. Southampton is 77 miles, and Overton much less! In fact this gazetteer provides more than 50 possible places where the picture might have been painted, presumably close to the subject portrait's home. The volume also names the more important houses and their owners near each coach stop or 'stage'. A George Bridges Esq lived at Astley Lodge, Tog Hill, near Bath (106miles from London), and there is a memorial in the church at Keynsham, Bristol (114 miles) to a Sir Thomas Bridges. For want of a better idea, my money therefore goes on a 'Somerset' Bridges who had himself portrayed on the London road by Benjamin Herring in his recently built and very smart gig, perhaps on his way to Hyde Park Corner?
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