William Conor, R.H.A., R.U.A. 1881-1968

There is a sketch of a gentleman on horseback on the reverse. 

Established in 1868, the Dublin Horse Show is now an annual International event held each year at the Royal Dublin Society. With a life-long passion for horses, Conor would have undoutedly visited the event on numerous occasions. In the present work, a lively spectator looks out at the viewer, immediately drawing us into the picture plane and leading our eye up past the silhouetted bystanders to the majestic horses in the centre of the composition.  In contrast to the depictions of local Ulster characters and their everyday working life that he became well known for depicting (see lots 89 and 98), the onlookers in the present work are smartly dressed in the fashions of the period, clearly highlighting the Dublin Horse Show's status as the sporting and social event of the year.

Born in Belfast and living there for the majority of his life, O'Conor first started to teach himself equine anatomy by visiting Johnson's Horse Repository in University Road. The fluid brushwork and dappled tones highlighting the elegant proportions of the thoroughbreds in the centre of the composition clearly demonstrate his fondness for the subject and his dexterity in portraying animals in movement.