Art of the Horse, running until July 31, offers a selection of traditional and contemporary examples, including works by Alfred Munnings, John Nost Sartorius and this portrait of a bay horse in a landscape by Benjamin Marshall (1768-1835).
The work was painted in 1812, the same the year Marshall moved to Newmarket racecourse to service the needs of the burgeoning horse racing community. He would become known as ‘Marshall of Newmarket’.
The signed 2ft x 2ft 6in (63 x 75cm) oil on canvas suffered minor scuffs and a tear during the Blitz when a barrage balloon fell onto the house where it hung. It has since been restored.
Passed by descent from the collection of artist Constance Ann Parker, who was also the first female librarian of the Royal Academy, the picture carries an asking price of £48,000.
