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Lot Essay
Little is known about the artist, although, as Sally Mitchell comments, Jones 'was one of the better sporting artists of his time... [his] portraiture of both horse and rider was excellent and powerful.' (S. Mitchell, The Dictionary of British Equestrian Artists, Woodbridge, 1985, p. 285). In 1818, he gave a Reading address for his Royal Academy exhibit but had moved to Louth, Lincolnshire, by 1824, and to Birmingham in 1830. Jones exhibited eleven pictures at the Royal Society of Birmingham Artists between 1832 and 1835.
British sporting art was an abiding passion of the 4th Marquess of Bute. Born in 1881, John Crichton-Stuart succeeded his remarkable father, the 3rd Marquess, in 1900 when still a minor. Over a period of a decade, with the help of his agent Major Hervey, he formed what was, in some respects, the most representative sporting collection of its time. He was in the fortunate position of collecting in the years before and immediately after the crash of 1929. He bought many of his paintings from dealers such as Ackermann but a significant proportion of the pictures were acquired on his behalf at Christie's. He had a particular interest in the works of John Wootton as well as being clearly fascinated by the differing facets of sporting art, from racing, to hunting, pictures that show the intertwined links between sport and land and coaching pictures.
British sporting art was an abiding passion of the 4th Marquess of Bute. Born in 1881, John Crichton-Stuart succeeded his remarkable father, the 3rd Marquess, in 1900 when still a minor. Over a period of a decade, with the help of his agent Major Hervey, he formed what was, in some respects, the most representative sporting collection of its time. He was in the fortunate position of collecting in the years before and immediately after the crash of 1929. He bought many of his paintings from dealers such as Ackermann but a significant proportion of the pictures were acquired on his behalf at Christie's. He had a particular interest in the works of John Wootton as well as being clearly fascinated by the differing facets of sporting art, from racing, to hunting, pictures that show the intertwined links between sport and land and coaching pictures.