Sporting art on display

An exhibition from 29th October to 29th November at Richard Green gallery in London celebrates British painting from the 1730s to the 1950s.

A significant proportion of the paintings fall in the sporting section, where paintings by Sir Alfred Munnings, Lionel Edwards and Harry Hall can all be seen.

“There is a good Munnings equestrian portrait,” said Susan Morris of the gallery. “It is called ‘Sidney Webster Fish on a dark bay’.

“There are also two other Munnings and a group of watercolours by Edwards of British racecourses from the late 1940s or early 1950s.”

A pair of pictures of glamorous ladies on horseback by Alfred de Dreux, who worked in Britain in the mid-nineteenth century painting for the French royal family and a pointer by Jacques-Laurent Agasse also feature among the collection.

Ms Morris said: “There is a bit of a scandal surrounding the picture ‘Agility with jockey up at Newmarket’ by Harry Hall.”

Foaled in 1867, the filly Agility won 21 races and was bred and owned by the Reverend John William King, vicar of Ashby de la Launde and Bassingham.

Agility and her highly successful full sister Apology raced under the name of Mr Launde but the Reverend could not evade Christopher Wordsworth, Bishop of Lincoln who set him the ultimatum of either resigning his livings or giving up racing.

Lively correspondence in The Times followed with the Bishop generally coming off the worse, but eventually the vicar was forced to resign his livings in 1875. He was by this time in his eighties and he died just three weeks later.

For further information please contact Susan Morris at Richard Green, 147 New Bond Street, London W1S 2TS. Tel: 020 7439 3939. Fax: 020 7629 2609. E-mail: paintings@richard-green.com. Internet: http://www.richard-green.com. Fully illustrated colour catalogues are available by post, price £20.