The Derby Reale

Born in Senigallia, Gabani studied first with Cesare Maccari and Giuseppe Raggio and then specialized mainly in history paintings, as well as landscapes, animals and particularly horses. He is also known for his Orientalist subjects, the majority of which include equine subjects. Between 1866 and 1870 Gabani served with the IV Cavalry. In 1866, he came to the public's attention with his painting Count Baratieri at the head of his regiment, 24 June 1866. In 1880, he was invited by Brugnoli to paint part of a mural for ceiling of the Teatro Costanzi (now the Teatro dell'Opera) in Rome. He received considerable acclaim for his painting Cavalli nella campagna, exhibited in Berlin in 1880 and in 1884 his large-scale history painting Carica del Genova Cavalleria was very well received in Turin. He also exhibited in Venice. At the exhibition in Melbourne he was given the silver medal. He died in Rome on 12 October 1900.

This work is a tour de force within Gabani's oeuvre and can be dated to post-1880 when he had moved to Rome. It shows his considerable skill at rendering horses and his confidant navigation through a complex composition. He has imbued the scene with a light and fresh palette which accentuates the elegant and refined nature of his subject. The scene is probably set outside Rome and the grandeur of the crowd is enhanced by the scale of the landscape receding towards the distant mountains.