After John Frederick Herring Snr (1795-1865) Racehorse Touchstone (1831-1861) and Jockey wearing the Marquess of Westminster's racing colours, oil on canvas, 62 x 74 cm, frame 84 x 96 cm

Touchstone was a British thoroughbred racehorse, bred and owned by Robert Grosvenor (1767-1845) 1st Marquess of Westminster, whose country house was at Eaton Hall, Cheshire. Touchstone measured 15 hands 2" and had an unusual build with fleshy legs and a long back; he had 19 dorsal vertebrae and 19 ribs on each side. He was particularly successful on longer distance races and had significant wins at the Dee Stakes, St Leger Stakes, Doncaster Gold Cup and Ascot. The artist John Frederick Herring described him as “a beautiful brown... He is a very level horse, and has the advantage of particularly fine arms, thighs, legs and feet – in short, a more wiry animal cannot be imagined, and in every respect looks the racehorse.” The original version of this painting hangs in the Danum Gallery, Doncaster.

In 1837 Touchstone was retired to stud and came back to his owner's stud at Eaton, Cheshire. He became one of the most influential sires of the 19th Century, having sired three Epson Derby winners. He remained at Eaton until his death and was a regular attraction at the annual Cheshire agricultural show.

Provenance: from a private country house in Cheshire, label verso for Sotheby's Chester 09/07/1987 lot 3209

Condition Report
The painting is an oil on canvas, framed without glazing. The canvas tension is fine, there are no obvious tears, losses etc. There was a dent to the upper right- above the horse which has been repaired recently. There is surface level craquelure throughout but the paint surface appears to be stable. There is some general dirt/surface accretions present. The frame has solid joints, some minor wear and tear.

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