Sir Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S.

Duke's, Dorchester, 10 April 2014, lot 229 where purchased by the present owner

This picture is relined and there is a visible area of restoration running diagonally through the top half of the painting, probably to a repaired tear - this could be greatly improved by more sensitive restoration. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There are retouchings to the restoration detailed above and smaller retouchings to the boy and to an area behind the horse. FRAME Contained in a moulded plaster frame.
"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."

The style of A Suffolk Lane suggests that it was painted towards the end of the first decade of the twentieth century. It probably depicts the beautiful white pony Augereau which became the principle equestrian model for Munnings' paintings around 1906 when he was purchased by the artist from a horse-trader named Drake. He was named by Munnings after seeing a matinee performance of a play called 'A Royal Divorce' in which a character continuously exclaims, "I swear it on the word of an Augereau."  Driving the pony home after the theatre late at night, whenever the pony misbehaved, Munnings and his groom would correct him and exclaim, "I swear it on the word of an Augereau!". Augereau, wrote Munnings, 'not only [brought] me wealth, but [earned] his keep a hundredfold.' In the present picture Auguereau is being ridden bare-back by a child, whose diminutive size emphasises the powerful musculature of the pony as it trots along a muddy cart-track through fields of ripe corn.

 

‘Augereau was the most picturesque of white ponies of white ponies – an artist’s ideal. A white horse has been used in many pictures by many artists. Augereau’s name may go down to posterity as the last of his disappearing race to pose as a model for a picture.’ (A.J. Munnings, An Artist’s Life, 1950, p.199)