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Lot Essay
The horse in the present work was named after a horse in one of Munnings' favourite books by Surtees entitled Mr Sponge's Sporting Tour. He explains in his memoirs, 'The animal - a 16.1 bay mare bred by myself, called Cherrybounce - Cherry for short. Why do I call her Cherrybounce? Because in Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour Lord Scamperdale rode a pretty hack over to old Jawleyford's to dine and stay the night, and one of the two daughters - Amelia or Emily, I forget which - remarked:
'Oh, what a lovely horse that is you are riding!'
'Isn't it?' exclaimed he...'That's what I call a clipper.'
'Why do you call it so?' asked she.
'Oh, I don't mean that Clipper is its name,' replied he, 'indeed, we call her Cherrybounce in the stable.' (The Finish, Bungay, 1952, p. 74).
Although Munnings' affection for his horses is well-known, Cherrybounce was one of his last and seemingly one of his favourites. When out riding one day in 1942 on the moors near Withypool, Exmoor, he composed a poem to this cherished mare and long-time model entitled Cherrybounce A Ballad of Exmoor (ibid, p. 344-48).
The present owner recalls the visit of her father, who was a friend of Munnings, to the private view of the artist's exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in 1947. Munnings was present and picked out the present work, commenting that he was particularly pleased with the blanket and said of the blanket, 'You won't find one better painted anywhere, my boy'.
This is an informal portrait of a horse and boy and Munnings has created a sensitive and calm scene in which the lad waits patiently in contemplation and the horse watches attentively. There seems to be a great rapport between the boy and horse which is likely as he was a regular groom and model for Munnings. He is also featured in The Second Set (Christie's, New York, 5 December 2003, lot 117) and Morning Exercise (New York, Wildenstein, Alfred J. Munnings, 1983, no. 53), the latter showing the same barn as the present work.
This work will be included in Lorian Peralta-Ramos's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Sir Alfred Munnings.
'Oh, what a lovely horse that is you are riding!'
'Isn't it?' exclaimed he...'That's what I call a clipper.'
'Why do you call it so?' asked she.
'Oh, I don't mean that Clipper is its name,' replied he, 'indeed, we call her Cherrybounce in the stable.' (The Finish, Bungay, 1952, p. 74).
Although Munnings' affection for his horses is well-known, Cherrybounce was one of his last and seemingly one of his favourites. When out riding one day in 1942 on the moors near Withypool, Exmoor, he composed a poem to this cherished mare and long-time model entitled Cherrybounce A Ballad of Exmoor (ibid, p. 344-48).
The present owner recalls the visit of her father, who was a friend of Munnings, to the private view of the artist's exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in 1947. Munnings was present and picked out the present work, commenting that he was particularly pleased with the blanket and said of the blanket, 'You won't find one better painted anywhere, my boy'.
This is an informal portrait of a horse and boy and Munnings has created a sensitive and calm scene in which the lad waits patiently in contemplation and the horse watches attentively. There seems to be a great rapport between the boy and horse which is likely as he was a regular groom and model for Munnings. He is also featured in The Second Set (Christie's, New York, 5 December 2003, lot 117) and Morning Exercise (New York, Wildenstein, Alfred J. Munnings, 1983, no. 53), the latter showing the same barn as the present work.
This work will be included in Lorian Peralta-Ramos's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Sir Alfred Munnings.