The National Horseracing Museum (NHRM) in Newmarket has accepted three large historic equine portraits by the renowned British artist John Wootton (1682-1764), which will be on public display from Thursday, April 23.
The paintings were acquired through the Arts Council's Acceptance in Lieu Scheme and were commissioned by Sir John Dutton in the 1720s, part of a series of seven equine portraits for his home at Sherborne Park in Gloucestershire.
The horses depicted – Lord Bridgewater's Ashridge Ball, Lord Harley's Bloody Shouldered Arabian and the Duke of Devonshire's Flying Childers – played a significant role in documenting the history of thoroughbred breeding, its patronage in sporting art, and Newmarket as the birthplace and home of British horse racing.
Lord Fairhaven, who made the allocation, said, “My family and I are delighted that the Arts Council's Acceptance in Lieu Scheme has benefited the National Horseracing Museum through the transfer of these three important paintings by John Wootton. Each of these horses was instrumental in establishing the Arabian bloodlines from which all modern thoroughbreds are descended.
“Notably, the Bloody Shouldered Arabian was the maternal grandsire of Whistlejacket, the subject of Stubbs's magnificent portrait now hanging in the National Gallery. As a former chairman of the NHRM and former senior steward of the Jockey Club, this transfer also commemorates my family's acquisition of Barton Stud in 1925, and our enduring support for the horse racing industry.
“It is our hope that these three wonderful paintings will now be enjoyed by a much wider audience.”
The NHRM is now home to the largest public collection of Wootton paintings in the UK, with a total of nine portraits. For more information, visit the NHRM website.
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