Jacques Laurent Agasse

George Pitt, 2^nd Lord Rivers, Stratfield Saye;
H.W. Arthurton;
His sale, London, Sotheby's, 6 July 1949, lot 14;
There purchased by Hausammann, Zurich.

London, The Tate Gallery, 1934;
London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Cricket and Sporting Paintings, 1935;
Geneva, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire; London, The Tate Gallery, Jacques-Laurent Agasse, 1767-1849, 10 November 1988 - 2 April 1989, cat. no. 22.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has a fairly old glue lining which is still supporting the paint layer nicely. The painting at the time of the lining was probably cleaned and varnished. The surface is now quite dirty. Under ultraviolet light the only retouching visible is in the lower sky on the left where a few spots have been added. The trees on the left side above the darker horse have been abraded and are not retouched. There are visible pentimenti to the right of the hound in the lower right. There is a visible retouching in the center of the right edge. Beneath this old varnish which is dirty, there may be retouches which are not visible under ultraviolet light. However, in the horses, although there is slight thinness in the mane of the darker horse, the condition is impressive and when the picture is cleaned, the bulk of the retouches will be required only to diminish the thinness in the trees in the center left. The painting is in beautiful condition.
"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."

In the catalogue of the London and Geneva exhibition (see Exhibited), Renée Loche dated this painting to circa 1806 based on comparison with another work recorded from that year in the artist's Record Book, the Portrait of a Black Hunter and a Grey Mare, which is very close in both composition and treatment.¹

The setting of this painting is probably on the grounds of Stratfield Saye in Hampshire, the family estate of George Pitt, 2^nd Lord Rivers (1751-1828).  Lord Rivers was Agasse's first and most important patron who commissioned numerous works from 1800 onwards.  He and Agasse had met circa 1790 in Geneva and it was at Lord Rivers' invitation that the young artist first briefly visited England.  A decade later, Agasse immigrated permanently to England and through Lord Rivers' connections was able to establish a successful career as a sporting painter.  Lord Rivers owned large stud farms and greyhound kennels at Stratfield Saye and at Hare Park near Newmarket, and his horses and dogs were the subjects of many of Agasse's paintings. The dog depicted is Lord Rivers's greyhound, Snowball, and the two horses presumably came from his stud, as well.

 

1.  See Geneva, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire; London, The Tate Gallery, Jacques-Laurent Agasse, 1767-1849, 10 November 1988 - 2 April 1989, cat. no. 21.