Footnotes

• Pomme-de-Terre was owned by Lord Zetland but trained at Beaufort House, Newmarket by his son, Lord George Heneage Lawrence Dundas (1882-1969). His successes with Pomme-de-Terre in 1920 include the Manchester November Handicap and in 1921 the Prix du President de la Republique in France.
  
  The Prix du President was established as a flat left-handed race in 1902 at Maisons-Laffitte and run over 2,400 meters (about 1 ½ miles) by horses three years and older. After a three year hiatus during World War I it reopened at a new venue at St. Cloud and its present day title is the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud. The race was changed in 1987 to 2,400 meters and in 2005 for four year olds and older.
  
  Pomme-de-Terre, an English owned and bred horse, ridden by Herbert Robbins, caused a sensation 3 July 1921 by finishing ahead of thirteen French horses at 4 : 1 odds. He won 250,000 francs and the following day's French newspapers reported that it was sad day for French racing.
  
  This present work is a study for a formal equestrian portrait and is representative of Munnings' working style. He would not only paint studies to plan his composition but more importantly in his mind, it was a way to get to know the horse's form as well as personality.
  
  Munnings writes in his memoirs that Pomme-de-Terre was a temperamental horse who "more than once stood up on his hind legs, fighting with his front ones. Not a nice thing to see, when a horse is a winner of big stakes. At last, during one of his circus performances, he got a foreleg over the lead. Out came two or three lads to the rescue. Thank God, Lord George was on the Heath. The more awkward the horse the more determined I was to paint him...Finally I put Lord George himself in the picture with the horse and lad" (The Second Burst, 1951, page 259).
  
  We would like to thank Lorian Peralta-Ramos for confirming the attribution to Sir Alfred James Munnings and for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.

Auction Notices

• The completed picture of Pomme-de-Terre which included Lord Dundas and a stable lad was painted in 1921. This larger version was produced as a Christmas card for the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Center in Lancashire, England by the permission of the Marquess of Zetland. This lot will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne being prepared by Lorian Peralta-Ramos.

---

Category: Fine Art / 19th Century Paintings

---

Auction terms and conditions