- 219
Jacques Laurent Agasse
Description
- Jacques Laurent Agasse
- The Wellesley Arabian, held by a Groom in a Landscape
- signed lower right: J. L. Agasse
- oil on canvas
Provenance
Exhibited
Munich, Kunstverein, Winterrhur, Das Pferd in der Kunst, 1930, no. 3.
Literature
Recorded by the Swiss Institute for the Study of Art, Zurich, 28th November 1968, file no. 7724;
R. Loche, Jacques-Laurent Agasse, Geneva 1988, p. 102.
Condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
The Hon. Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley (1773-1847), first sailed for India in November 1797, as private secretary to his elder brother Lord Mornington, the newly appointed Governor-General of Bengal. Together with his other brother Sir Arthur Wellesley, afterwards 1st Duke of Wellington, Wellesley acted as one of the commissioners for the settlement of Mysore after the defeat of Tipu Sultan, and in 1801 he was sent to Lucknow to negotiate a treaty with the Vizier of Oudh to cede territory in the interests of the East India Company. On completion of the treaty Wellesley was appointed Governor of the newly-acquired territory, though he resigned the appointment in March 1802, before returning to Europe. It has been suggested that Wellesley's political influence in India, and his consequent links with the Shah of Persia, could well have provided him with the benefit of expert local advice when selecting his two stallions.
Born into a wealthy and politically influential Huguenot family at Geneva, Agasse first trained at the École du Colibri, before moving to Paris in 1787, where he trained under Jacques-Louis David, and possibly also with Horace Vernet. His interest in animal portraiture eventually led him to London, where, following the precedent of George Stubbs, his evident talent found a ready demand at the hands of the great patrons of the Turf. Such was his success in England that he emigrated there permanently in 1800. Agasse's MS. Record Book records both of the 1809 versions of the Grey Wellesley Arabian, the first being entered under the heading '25 August 1809 P. of a beautifull [sic] grey Arabian small the W:ly, two figures, in a stable. Small ½ length', whilst the present picture follows under the entry 'September 1809 Portrait of ditto lead and groom small size'. As Loche states, this must be the picture that was submitted by Agasse's sister to the Société des Arts for inclusion in the exhibition held in Geneva in July 1820. A third portrait of the horse by Agasse, thought to have been painted in 1810, depicting the stallion being led through the desert, is in the Paul Mellon Collection (Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven).
1. R. Loche, Jacques-Laurent Agasse, Geneva 1988, p. 102
2. The Sporting Magazine, August 1810