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Lot 53*,TP
Circle of John Wootton(Snitterfield 1682-1764 London)A race at Newmarket in original Kent style frame
Amended
2 July 2025, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£70,000 - £100,000
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Circle of John Wootton (Snitterfield 1682-1764 London)
A race at Newmarket
oil on canvas
85.9 x 147.2cm (33 13/16 x 57 15/16in).
in original Kent style frame
oil on canvas
85.9 x 147.2cm (33 13/16 x 57 15/16in).
in original Kent style frame
Footnotes
Provenance
Sir Edward O'Brien (1705-1765, fig. 1) and by descent through the family to the present owner
According to family tradition the group of gentlemen in the centre of the foreground includes Sir Edward O'Brien, 2nd Baronet and the original owner of this painting. Although in some versions of Wootton's original composition the figure wearing the Order of the Garter is identified as the Prince of Wales, another suggestion is that it is the Duke of Wharton (1698-1731) who at the time was the principal owner at Newmarket and whose horse is front of field in the present work, identifiable by the jockey's distinctive colours of silver filigree over pink silks. Nearby to the right the portly figure who wears a red scarf around his neck may be Tregonwell Frampton (d. 1827), Keeper of the King's Running Horses.
Sir Edward O'Brien was an MP and racehorse breeder who became one of the most significant bloodstock owners in Ireland. He spent much of his time at his mother's mansion, Castlemartin in Co. Kildare, presumably because it was conveniently very close to the Curragh, and his love of field and equestrian sports was only equalled by his profligacy. He was a regular attendee at Newmarket and kept houses in George Street near Hanover Square in London as well as Dublin.
Newmarket, the subject of this painting, was the most important centre for British horse racing in the early 18th century. Its distinctive topography marks it out, we see the Ditch running from left to right across the distance while on the far right stand St Mary's Church, the windmill and Warren Hill. The race is being run on the Round Course and would have started to the right of the distant stable buildings, the riders rounding the white post that stands in the foreground of the painting. The course would have taken them on a circuit of almost four miles, ending at the finishing post to the left of the stables which spectators have climbed in order to watch the end of the race. The crowd of onlookers on horseback and in carriages in the centre of the course can be seen heading off at speed to follow the race. The present work is derived from a composition by John Wootton, one of the foremost equestrian painters of the day, who based himself at Newmarket giving him access both to plentiful subject matter and to wealthy patrons. He is known to have painted a number of variants of this composition; the version to which the present work is most closely related was sold at Christie's, New York, 3 December 1998, lot 5 (S. Mitchell, The Dictionary of British Equestrian Artists, p. 400 ill. Pl. 31).
Saleroom notices
Please see the following additional information: A note on the provenance Dromoland Castle was the ancestral home of the O'Brien family, who were direct descendants of Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland. Sir Edward O'Brien, 2nd Baronet (1705-1765), known for his love of racing, is said to be responsible for the building of Dromoland Turret, allowing him and his guests excellent views of his racehorses training and running in the fields below. Indeed, it is believed it was Sir Edward, who renamed the village two miles from Dromoland, Newmarket on-Fergus after his admiration of Newmarket, in Suffolk. It is also said that Sir Edward gambled his entire estate on one race back in 1730 with a horse named Seán Buí. Fortunate for him, Seán Buí won and Sir Edward managed to hold on to the family estate. When Seán Buí died, Sir Edward showed his appreciation to the horse that saved his estate by building The Temple of Mercury in honour of this great racehorse, according to local folklore, this is also the burial site of Seán Buí. Sir Edward entered the Irish House of Commons in 1727 until his death in 1765
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