Lot 103
  • 103

Sir Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S.

Estimate
400,000 - 600,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Crossing the Ford
  • signed A.J. Munnings and dated 1909 (lower right)
  • oil on canvas
  • 19 by 29 1/2 in.
  • 48.3 by 75 cm

Provenance

Richard Green, London
Acquired from the above, October, 1969

Exhibited

New York, Wildenstein, Alfred J. Munnnings: Images of the Turf and Field, April 28 - June 3, 1983, no. 8 (as Crossing the Ford: Shrimp the Gypsy Boy and Two Horses)
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Brandy Wine River Museum, Alfred J. Munnings from Regional Collections, June 7 - September 1, 2008

Condition

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work does not seem to have been recently restored. The varnish is quite dull in places. The paint layer is slightly milky under ultraviolet light, which suggests that it is possibly slightly dirty. The canvas is not lined. The painting is well stretched, and there is no instability to the paint layer. The work looks well, and a fresh varnish would certainly make it considerably more presentable.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Catalogue Note

Munnings held a lifelong fascination with the effects of light and water and he returned to the ford theme frequently from 1906-1911. Using his own horses and grooms as models, Munnings would alter the number of horses and ponies, change the groupings, viewpoints and locations which enabled him to explore numerous artistic possibilities. As the artist explained, "the mere sight of these ponies, coming or going gave me fresh pictures. Like a game of chess, there was no end to it" (Alfred Munnings, An Artist's Life, Bungay, Suffolk, 1950, p. 238).

As ponies splashed through the water, the movement broke the lines in the current which, in turn, generated swirling ripples and a dance of flickering light and color. In the present work, the water reflects the unseen grey sky which casts a blue-grey hue on the ponies' coats. Munnings carried the tone throughout the painting making the work a cohesive whole. 

Crossing the Ford shows Munnings' favorite groom leading the horses through the water. In An Artist's Life, Munnings describes him as a young man who "slept under the caravan with the dogs, and had no family of his own, no family ties, no parents that he knew. This son of the wild went by the name of Shrimp... little did I dream that he would one day become for me an indispensible model, an inspiring rogue, and an annoying villain... He was a paintable figure... and the best model I ever had" (Munnings, p. 207, 211, 217).