A beautiful Victorian stable portrait by Thomas Walker Bretland (1802–1874), one of the most accomplished British sporting painters of the 19th century.
Sporting Horse Portrait Oil Painting of Cambridgeshire 1847 Winner
This portrait celebrates one of the most unlikely victories in horseracing history.
The Widow was foaled in 1839 at the Duke of Westminster's Eaton Stud, but instead of being trained as a racehorse, she spent years pulling a gig.
In 1847, the virtually untrained mare arrived at Newmarket and stunned the racing world by winning the Cambridgeshire Stakes, beating thirty-six rivals including the celebrated War Eagle.
A true underdog story - and one that earned her this magnificent portrait.
The composition depicts a bay mare standing in three-quarter profile facing left, painted with considerable anatomical confidence. The horse’s rich chestnut-bay coat is handled with notable skill - the sheen and musculature of a thoroughbred in peak condition convincingly rendered, with the characteristic dark points of the legs, mane and tail executed with precision. The mare’s head is finely observed and alert, with a white blaze to the face.
The setting is a well-appointed loose box interior, the pale timber boarding of the stable walls receding convincingly into the background and giving the composition both depth and quiet elegance. Hay is strewn across the stable floor in loose, confident brushwork that contrasts effectively with the tighter handling of the horse - a technique characteristic of Bretland at his best. To the right, a checked stable rug in red and blue is draped over the door, adding a welcome note of colour to an otherwise warm palette of ochres, creams and browns.
The horse’s name, The Widow, is inscribed by the artist directly onto the feeding trough - an unusual and authentic period detail speaking to the commemorative nature of the commission. The painting is signed lower right ‘Bretland, Nottingham’, and the original title plate on the frame reads: ‘Winner of The Cambridgeshire 1847 / The Widow (by Abbas Mirza – Isabel) / Thos. Bretland’.
ABOUT THE WIDOW: The Widow was a brown filly, foaled in 1839, by Abbas Mirza out of Isabel by Pantaloon. At eight years old she won the Cambridgeshire Handicap of 1847, run over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket - one of the most prestigious handicap contests in the Victorian racing calendar and, alongside the Cesarewitch, one half of the celebrated Autumn Double. The Cambridgeshire had been established only eight years earlier, in 1839, and was already firmly established as one of the great tests of the thoroughbred. The commission of a formal stable portrait to commemorate The Widow’s victory speaks to the esteem in which she was held.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: Thomas Walker Bretland (1802–1874) was born in Nottingham, the eldest son of Peter Bretland, the owner of a coach and carriage painting business. Bretland sketched from an early age and wanted to train as an artist, but his father discouraged this and in 1816 Thomas became apprenticed to him in the family business. Around 1828 he began to paint animal portraits and received commissions. By about 1840, after his father's death, he left the family business and took up the full time occupation of animal painting. He was much encouraged by Lord Middleton one of his first important patrons. Other major patrons included the Dukes of Buccleuch and Montrose, Lord Chesterfield and Baron Rothschild. He worked mainly in oils and his subject matter covered animal portraits generally as well as hunting scenes and landscapes. He was influenced to a degree by one of his fairly close neighbours, John Ferneley Senior.
His work has appeared at Christie’s, Bonhams and Sotheby’s.
PROVENANCE
Commissioned c.1847, almost certainly by the owner of The Widow following her Cambridgeshire victory.
Sotheby’s, Chester (Booth Mansion, Watergate Street), 9 July 1987, titled ‘The Widow, Winner of the Cambridgeshire’.
Unicorn Gallery Ltd, Wilmslow, Cheshire (label and stock label verso, catalogue no. 10,031Y).
Private collection thereafter.
CONDITION
Consistent with age and period. The canvas has been relined at some stage. There is a small area of paint loss below the tail, visible on close inspection. The painting is presented in a later gilt frame incorporating the original inscribed title plate, which is contemporary with the work. Overall presentation remains very good for a painting of this date.