Lot Essay
The setting for this sleepy painting are the Ringland Hills, seven miles from Norwich, on the west side. The subject for the work are two of Munnings' favourite models, the gypsy boy Shrimp, and an old Welsh mare.
Munnings' love for the rural Norwich landscape and lifestyle is prevelant in his paintings over the period 1908-1911, he was painting each summer in the Ringland area and horse dealers, gypsy families, ponies and lurchers were easily found in the pubs and fairs throughout the summer. An important figure at this time, and one that provided Munnings with most of his human and animal models was the horse dealer James Drake; Shrimp slept under Drake's caravan and through him affected an introduction to the artist. Shrimp is undoubtably the most famous of the artist's models. The illegitimate son of a house-maid at Narford Hall near Swaffham, Shrimp ran away from home choosing rather to sleep it rough and work with horses. Like Munnings he often preferred horses to people.
In 1908 money changed hands between Drake and Munnings and Shrimp became a full time model and minder for the artist. In return Munnings paid him, and bought him some new clothes. Shrimp was sent to a Norwich tailor where he was dressed in a tight pair of 'dealer' trousers, a pearl buttoned Georgian waistcoat, a cloth cap, and bright red neckerchief; Shrimp dressed like this for the remainder of his time with Munnings. Munnings found Shrimp an irresistable model: "Shrimp that utterly uneducated, wild, ageless youth, who slept under Drake's caravan. When not wanted he lay on the dusty ground or grass (each came alike to him), smoked cigarettes, and played with the lesser dogs, lurchers and children. He was a good bare back rider and sly as a fox. I grew to like Shrimp!"
With the help of Shrimp, Munnings bought the grey Welsh mare from Drake in 1910 for twenty pounds , together the mare and Shrimp made a handsome couple and became the central theme in almost all of Munnings' Norwich paintings.
Munnings' love for the rural Norwich landscape and lifestyle is prevelant in his paintings over the period 1908-1911, he was painting each summer in the Ringland area and horse dealers, gypsy families, ponies and lurchers were easily found in the pubs and fairs throughout the summer. An important figure at this time, and one that provided Munnings with most of his human and animal models was the horse dealer James Drake; Shrimp slept under Drake's caravan and through him affected an introduction to the artist. Shrimp is undoubtably the most famous of the artist's models. The illegitimate son of a house-maid at Narford Hall near Swaffham, Shrimp ran away from home choosing rather to sleep it rough and work with horses. Like Munnings he often preferred horses to people.
In 1908 money changed hands between Drake and Munnings and Shrimp became a full time model and minder for the artist. In return Munnings paid him, and bought him some new clothes. Shrimp was sent to a Norwich tailor where he was dressed in a tight pair of 'dealer' trousers, a pearl buttoned Georgian waistcoat, a cloth cap, and bright red neckerchief; Shrimp dressed like this for the remainder of his time with Munnings. Munnings found Shrimp an irresistable model: "Shrimp that utterly uneducated, wild, ageless youth, who slept under Drake's caravan. When not wanted he lay on the dusty ground or grass (each came alike to him), smoked cigarettes, and played with the lesser dogs, lurchers and children. He was a good bare back rider and sly as a fox. I grew to like Shrimp!"
With the help of Shrimp, Munnings bought the grey Welsh mare from Drake in 1910 for twenty pounds , together the mare and Shrimp made a handsome couple and became the central theme in almost all of Munnings' Norwich paintings.