Galloper Light

Munnings devoted an entire chapter of the second volume of his autobiography to Galloper Light where he discusses the commissioning of the larger oil, Mr Anthony de Rothschild's "Galloper Light", Hulme up, and Mr. John Watson, Trainer: 'After the war there was dark-brown, nice-looking horse called Galloper Light. This horse belonged to Anthony de Rothschild, and was a son of the famous St. Frusquin, by St. Simon. [...] In the Coronation Cup at Epsom, Galloper Light, as a three-year-old, was beaten by a head by Lord Glanely's horse, he, with Dansellon, third, four lengths away. I recall that terrific finish. Both were big, good-looking horses. [...] The same year, 1919, Galloper Light won the Grand Prix de Paris. His last race was in the Doncaster Cup, 1920 - won by Buchan - when he ran nowhere. His racing career over, Mr. de Rothschild wanted a picture of him. It was my first commission to paint a winner. The traditional way of doing so many of these pictures of racehorses was to put a jockey on the horse, with the trainer standing by, attired in his Ascot finery. Such pictures have a stilted, foolish appearance; but since the owner wished for such a picture, I never hesitated to do it, and Jack Watson, with top hat, black coat and striped trousers, came over to Palace House, where I was staying, and stood for me near a window in the library; and so, like the rest, I made a stilted picture. [...] Galloper Light's picture led to another interesting commission. Mr. Anthony de Rothschild asked me to go to his Southcourt Stud near Leighton Buzzard, there to paint any I liked of the mares and foals in the various paddocks' (see A.J. Munnings, The Second Burst, 1951, pp.89-90). See also catalogue note for lot 138.