Cheshire Antiques Consultant

Victorian Oil Painting Race Horse Sir J Willougbhy's Harvester & Jockey 1884 Derby Winner

£4,500.00

Frais de port calculés à la caisse.

Charge forward into victory with this 1 elegant Victorian oil painting of Race Horse Harvester and its jockey, the 1884 Derby Winner! An extraordinary piece of British Sporting History, this painting is the perfect addition to any daring collector's home.
Title "Sir J Willougbhy's Harvester" 1884 Derby joint winner. Plaque shown attached along the bottom front.
Subject beautiful portrait of a British sporting horse racing scene in side profile of the known 19th century race horse Harvester, showing in side profile facing right with jockey rider who is wearing traditional smart white jockey race uniform with a yellow cap hat and he is holding his whip cane. Having such beautiful perspective with the white wooden fence lane shown in the background that slopes downhill along with shortcut green grass. Further, back open countryside fields with lines of trees and bushes. Overhead a mainly overcast sky with some spots of blue shining through. Oil on board.
British School artist.
It is signed, but we cannot make out the signature bottom right.
Set in a traditional original stylish gilt frame.
Circa late 19th century Victorian era.
Provenance labels verso Celt Gallery Westbound Grove.
A nice size with the frame being 49 cm width and 43 cm high.
Harvester (1881–1906) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1883 to 1884 he ran thirteen times and won five races. In 1884, he was involved in the second, and most recent dead heat in the history of The Derby. At the end of his racing career, Harvester was sold and exported to stand as a stallion in Austria. He died in 1906 in Hungary.
Harvester was a brown colt with "dicky-looking forelegs" bred by Evelyn Bowen, 6th Viscount Falmouth. He raced in Lord Falmouth’s colors as a two-year-old and was then bought by Sir John Willougbhy. As a result of his sale, Harvester was moved from the stable of Mathew Dawson to be trained at Bedford Lodge, Newmarket, Suffolk by James Hewitt[2] and managed by Captain James Mac hell.
Harvester’s sire, Sterling was a successful racehorse who became an excellent sire. Apart from Harvester, he sired the 2000 Guineas winners Enterprise and Enthusiast, and the outstanding stayer Economy. Harvester’s dam, Wheat-ear was a top class race mare who won The Oaks in 1870.
Racing career Lord Falmouth, Harvester's breeder and first owner 1883: two-year-old season
As a two-year-old, Harvester ran six times and won twice. He first appeared at Newmarket at the start of July when he started at 8/1 for the Chesterfield Stakes.
1884: three-year-old season Spring By the end of the winter, Harvester, who had made excellent physical progress, was 12/1 second favorite for the Derby behind Queen Adelaide and well-fancied for the 2000 Guineas. Before the season began, Lord Falmouth decided to retire from the turf and sell all of his horses at a public auction. As a leading Derby fancy, Harvester was expected to attract considerable interest, and it was predicted that he would fetch at least £5,000. At Newmarket on 28 April Harvester was sold for 8,600 guineas to Sir John Willougbhy, a young Guards officer who had also bought Queen Adelaide
Epsom Derby The finish of the 1884 Derby from the Illustrated London News. Harvester is on the near side
At Epsom on 28 May, on a "cold and cheerless day", Harvester started at odds of 100/7 in a field of fifteen. He was regarded as his trainer’s third string behind Queen Adelaide, who started 5/2 favorite and St Menard (6/1). Harvester was held up in the early stages before moving into contention as Borneo led the field into the straight. St. Gain took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish but was soon joined by Harvester and the two colts were "locked together" throughout the final furlong in a "tremendous race". A hundred yards from the post, St Gain appeared to have the advantage, but Oates rode a vigorous finish and drove Harvester forward in the last strides.
The two leaders crossed the line together, just ahead of Queen Adelaide who finished strongly after being blocked at a crucial stage. The judge was unable to separate Harvester and St. Gain and a dead heat was called. The common practice at the time was for dead heats to be settled by the two horses immediately running again over the same course, although the prize could be shared if both owners agreed. When St Gain’s owners offered to divide the stakes, Willougbhy and Mac hell accepted, predictably in view of Harvester’s leg problems.
Willougbhy later made and then withdrew an official objection to St Gain on a technical point relating to the colt's pedigree.
Such a delightful scene to the eye.
Highly sought after due to the collectible sporting nature of subject such elaborate detail.
With hanging thread on the back ready for immediate home wall display.
Incredible conversation piece for your guests.
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Condition report.
Offered in fine used condition.
Condition report in good overall condition, having some light surface scratches, foxing and craquelure. There is a small circular mark to the top right of the image, with a very small area of loss in the same location. There are a few other, similarly small areas of loss to the other parts of the picture surface on places. Frame having various general wear, scuffs, chips, losses commensurate with usage & old age.
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Dimensions in centimeters of the frame approximate

High (43 cm)
Wide (49 cm)
Depth thickness of frame (5 cm)