Henry Barnard Chalon

London, Royal Academy, 1799 no. 243

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good condition. There has been some infilling to the fine craquelure overall. Otherwise sound. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals signs of strengthening to the background, particularly in the sky, and minor retouching throughout. FRAME Held in a carved and gilded frame.
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At a time when the carriage reigned supreme as the highest form of luxury transport, there was none more luxurious than the Royal Carriage. In this beautifully painted and exquisitely detailed painting we see depicted the bespoke Rolls-Royce of its day, complete with liveried coachman and magnificent black coach horses. 

Henry Barnard Chalon, born on 6^th May 1771, was 'Animal Painter to the Duchess of York' in 1796 and later filled the same role for both the Duke of York and his elder brother the Prince of Wales (later George VI). A prolific animal painter, who in his latter years specialised in horses and dogs, Chalon entered the Royal Academy schools in 1788 and won a silver medal in 1790. He exhibited extensively in the annual Academy shows between 1792 and 1849 and in the British Institution from 1807 until his death.

Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1799 the painting depicts one of the royal carriages, from the Mews of George III, pulled by a pair of the state coach horses, outside Marlborough House on the Mall, with St James's Palace in the distance. The Royal Arms are emblazoned on both the door and on the front of the carriage, with the order of St. George on the side. Chalon tenderly captures an informal moment in the otherwise formal world of court life, bringing a touch of intimacy to the scene through the playful interaction between the horses and a small dog in the foreground.