Description:

Sir Alfred James Munnings Lady Munnings on Magnolia Oil on canvas 36 x 36 in Signed. Provenance: Ian MacNicol; Richard Green Illustrated: facing pg. 72, The Autobiography of Sir Alfred Munnings, Volume III, The Finish. According to Sir Alfred Munnings’ aesthetics, a woman riding sidesaddle was the epitome of elegance. Therefore, it was not surprising that when Munnings first laid eyes on Violet McBride, his future wife, at the salubrious 1919 Richmond Horse Show at Olympia, he was struck by her poise and unrivalled horsemanship in the sidesaddle hack class. With a gardenia in her buttonhole and well-deserved confidence, she was the first to enter the ring, commanding the judges and spectators’ attention. Riding sidesaddle is as much about the “look” as it is about one’s riding skills. Munnings was awed and proclaimed Violet unsurpassable. He quickly obtained an introduction to this paragon of grace but was denied a sitting for a portrait. It was only after their engagement in 1920 that the artist began to paint Violet, and her portraits began to appear in prestigious Royal Academy. Even when not in formal sidesaddle or hunting attire, Lady Munnings exudes a commanding presence. She sits properly erect with her right shoulder slightly back to maintain purchase while both legs drape to the left side. Nonetheless, she has control of her mount as indicated by the horse’s head being almost vertical or bent “at the poll.” Lady Munnings has reins in one hand and her right hand casually in her lap. What is particularly of interest is that this cocked elbow position has historic precedent in equestrian portraiture. Velasquez, Titian, and Van Dyck used this relaxed posture in their royal equestrian portraits to illustrate effortless ease and control of the horse, but even more important, it was symbolic of successful leadership. Lady Munnings is shown on her hunter Magnolia, a mare by the 1923 Ascot Gold Cup winner Happy Man. As she was foaled in 1928, she appears as a dark dappled grey in Munnings’ celebrated Epsom paintings of 1931. In the present painting, the mare still maintains her dark mane, which dates this work to the mid to late 1930s. Lady Munnings frequently hunted in the west counties of Devon and Somerset, renowned for endless swathes of barren moorland and jagged stone walls which are depicted in this composition. This work illustrates Munnings’ mastery of subtle transparent shadows cast by the gray sky. The artist’s limited pallet is frequently seen in his paintings of gray horses under cloudy skies, as though the picture’s main theme is the study of diffused light. The flat light, however, has not hindered the artist’s ability to beautifully express the volume and musculature of the animal. Compositionally, Munnings has given the subject monumentality by painting from a low vantage point, high against an endless sky and deep landscape. However, at the same time, he has placed the figures in an enclosed space defined by the stone wall and foreground shadow, creating a form of intimacy. These same elements, painted on diagonal lines, support the sense of movement that the horse’s raised foreleg suggests. This work is one of a handful of portraits depicting Lady Munnings on a casual ride.

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November 15, 2024 2:00 PM EST
Lexington, KY, US

Cross Gate Gallery

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