George Henry Laporte

Mrs J.M. Benison, Hove;
Her sale, London, Christie's, 22 October 1948, lot 189 (bt. for 70 gns, to W. Hutchinson);
With Messrs. Hutchinson & Co. Ltd. (Publishers);
Their sale, London, Christie's, 14 December 1951, lot 124 (bt. for 21 gns, to Frost & Reed);
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 23rd May 2008, lot 48 (bt. for £24,500)

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good condition, with no apparent extant damage or loss of paint. The painting does not require any restoration or conservation and is ready to display. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals a small number of extremely minor flecks of retouching in the upper section of the sky. The picture appears to have been cleaned, and there are occasional remnants of the old varnish which appear slightly opaque under ultraviolet light. FRAME Held in a carved and gilded neo-classical style frame. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com, or Ludo Shaw Stewart on +44 (0)207 293 5816, or at ludovic.shawstewart@sothebys.com.
"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."

George Henry Laporte shows the Master of the Royal Buckhounds in the Thames valley, leaping a brook behind his pack. A yeoman pricker (or huntsman), in his scarlet and gold livery, follows swiftly behind. In the left distance a tiny stag makes its escape. The stormy, scudding clouds and low viewpoint add to the speed and drama of the scene.

Royalty had hunted deer in Windsor Forest since the time of William the Conqueror. In Queen Elizabeth's day the pack was called the Harthounds, later changed to Buckhounds. Queen Anne was passionately fond of the sport, driving herself in a light, one-horse chariot 'furiously , like Jehu'; she once covered forty-five miles after a stag before dinner[1]. From George II's reign the stag was not killed but carted, released and recaptured after a day's hunting. The hounds, kennelled at Swinley near Ascot, were in the late eighteenth century still yellow-pie hounds with 'big heads, immense ears, and voices deep as the tolling bell of St. Paul's Cathedral'[2]. George III, who adored rural life, loved riding to them, although he complained: 'when we hunt together, neither my brother [the Duke of Cumberland] nor my son [the Prince of Wales] will speak to me; and one day lately, when the chase ended in a little village where there was only one post-chaise, my son and brother got into it and drove away to London, leaving me to ride to Windsor in a cart, if I could get one'[3].

In 1813 the 4^th Duke of Richmond gave his Goodwood pack to the Prince of Wales to be the new Buckhounds, and the pace of the sport improved. The appointment of Charles Davis, son of the huntsman of George III's harriers, as yeoman pricker in 1822 ushered in an era of revival. Laporte's painting was made in the second half of the 1830's. The Master of the Buckhounds, always a nobleman, was an officer in the Master of the Horse's department of the Royal Household and the sovereign's representative at Ascot. As a political appointment, the Master changed with the ministry. The Master in this painting is probably one of three noblemen: George Stanhope, 6^th Earl of Chesterfield (1805-1866), who was elected on 30^th December 1834; William Hay, 18^th Earl of Erroll (1801-1846), elected 30^th April 1835, or George Fox Kinnaird, 1^st Baron Kinnaird (1807-1878), elected 21^st December 1839. The office was abolished in 1901, when the Buckhounds were disbanded.

[1] Quoted in Roger Longrigg, The History of Foxhunting, London 1975, p. 57

[2] Quoted in Longrigg op. cit., p.82

[3] Quoted in Longrigg pp.82-3