Sir Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S. 1878-1959

The boy holding Rufus in this charming work is Jimmy Delaney, one of three brothers who all served as stable lads at the cottage at Withypool on Exmoor which was Alfred and Voilet Munning's wartime retreat.  Apparently Munnings was so appalled at the state of the boys' clothes that he had jodphurs, shirts and waistcoats tailored for them.
Violet had owned the cottage as a hunting lodge since the 1930s but the couple lived there permanently from 1940.  The sanctuary of Exmoor freed Munnings from endless commissions and allowed him to indulge his love of landscape painting.
The horse himself, a chestnut, was used to hunt and hack across the moor and was described by Munnings as '...so tractable and intelligent  and loveable'.
This affection is reflected in the unpretentious simplicity of the present work which conjurs up a nostalgic sense of the innocence of a bygone age.