Lot Essay
The present painting relates to a drawing by James Seymour held in the Yale Centre for British Art (inv. no. B2001.2.1190), though the drawing only depicts the two horses seen here to the left (fig. 1). The drawing, with an identifying inscription, was engraved by Thomas Burford in 1752. Seymour painted a number of comparable works, such as The Stables and Two Famous Running Horses belonging to His Grace, the Duke of Bolton, also in the Yale collection (inv. no. B2001.2.26) and Mr. Ambrose Phillip's two racehorses in a stable with groom, sold Sotheby's, London, 12 July 1995, lot 131 (£150,000).