Description:

John Frederick Herring Sr (British, 1795-1865) LANGUISH AND PANTALOON $12,000. – 15,000. Oil on canvas, 20” x 31” Signed, inscribed “Languish” & Pantaloon”, dated 1846 $12,000. – 15,000. Provenance: Christie, Manson and Wood, May 5, 1864; 16 Herring Pictures owned by Messrs. Fores, obtained directly from the artist. Literature: O. Beckett, J.F. Herring and Sons, London: J. A. Allen and Company, 1981. The Fores engraving of this painting is illustrated on page 166. Reproduced for Fores’ Series of the British Stud: Portraits of Celebrated Stallions and Mares Whose Performance and Produce are well known on the Turf. This painting, Languish and Pantaloon, was described by The Sporting Review as “portraits of a mare and a stallion, placed in a paddock and most naturally and characteristically grouped. The mare is the celebrated matron of the turf Languish, the property of the late Marquis of Westminster. She was bred by Mr. Bristow, by Cain, out of a Paynator mare; dam Lydia by Poulton, out of Vanity. The horse is the well-known sire Pantaloon, bred by Mr. Gifford, by Castrel, out of an Alexander mare, dam Idalia by Peruvian, out of Musidora.” Pantaloon only raced at the age of 3, unbeaten in all seven starts. While his victories were mostly against small fields in the country, he made his mark at stud. With Pantaloon, Languish produced Ghuznee, winner of the 1841 Epsom Oaks and Coronation Stakes. The venerable Fores Gallery was unquestionably the top printmaker in England at the time. Ruffs Guide to the Turf reported on the series: “This admirable series painted by Herring and engraved by Harris is now in course of publication, and if aught were wanting to establish the reputation of the two artists, it would be found in these justly designated master pieces. No sporting gallery has ever yet contained more beautiful delineations of that noble animal, the horse, than are exhibited in these interesting portraits of the celebrities of the British Stud. The likenesses are preserved with the most striking fidelity, the character perfectly life-like, and in the composition of the pictures, beauty, grace, energy and animation are displayed with exquisite effect.” Beckett lists the original paintings, by Herring, from which the engravings were produced, as being the property of Messrs.’ Fores and as being sold at auction in 1864 by Christie, Manson and Wood (the auction house that would eventually become Christie’s). Beckett includes an excerpt from The Sporting Magazine: “this matchless series of thoroughbreds makes the blood dance through one’s veins to think of the deeds of these favored of the seraglio, while to votaries of the Turf — apart from the merit of these pictures as works of art, they are of great importance as preserving the portrait of the most celebrated of the blood present era.” The quote chosen by Beckett demonstrates the views held by many horsemen of the day — the paintings by Herring serve a greater purpose than being attractive works of art. The works serve as pictorial documentation of the greatest horses of an era — a historical recollection for the generations of turf enthusiasts to come. The other notable sires and dams featured in this series include Sir Hercules and Beeswing, Touchstone and Emma, Camel and Banter, Muley Moloch and Rebecca, and Lanercost and Crucifix. These six sets of sires and dams pictured in “The British Stud” produced some of the finest runners of the era, including the St. Leger winner Satirist. A portrait of Satirist by J.F. Herring Sr. is also being offered in this sale (see lot 26).

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November 18, 2018 2:00 PM EST
Lexington, KY, US

Cross Gate Gallery

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$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $4,999 $100
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $49,999 $1,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 $499,999 $25,000
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