* John Frederick Herring Snr. Surrey 1795-1863 Meopham, Kent

With Wildenstein & Co., Inc., New York;
From whom purchased by the family of the present owner.

Charles XII, by Voltaire out of Wagtail was bred by Major Yarburgh.  He was one of the most successful horses of his era, winning sixteen of his twenty three starts.  In 1839, the year of the present picture, Charles XII won the Liverpool Summer cup and at Doncaster he won the St. Leger, which was celebrated as one of the most exciting races of the 19th century.  The race got off at a sharp pace with Charles XII heading the field which he maintained until Euclid snatched the lead in the last furlong. Charles XII then rallied and the stewards declared the race a dead heat.  In the run off Charles XII won after a "splendid and severe struggle" to beat the unfortunate Euclid.  Further back in the field was the 1839 Derby winner, Bloomsbury.  Two days later Charles XII won the Doncaster Cup, beating the great Beeswing.

At the end of 1839, Charles XII was sold to Mr A. Johnstone.  The season of 1840 was not as successful as the previous year, however in the remainder of his career he won the Craven stakes at Newcastle twice and the Goodwood Cup twice.

Charles XII retired to stud at Willesden in 1844.  He was known as a very powerful, impressive horse, although he was not as successful at stud as he had been on the racecourse.  His best daughter was Olga (b.f. 1851).

Herring clearly had a great admiration for Charles XII.  He depicted the finish at the 1839 St. Leger several times (see Sotheby's, New York, 10 June 1988, lot 79) and produced numerous portraits of the horse in a loose box.