Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S. (1878-1959) Barnet Fa...

Hammer

£32,000

Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S. (1878-1959)
Barnet Fair
Oil on canvas, signed and dated A.J. Munnings 1903, lower left
34.5cm x 24.6cm

Provenance
Acquired from M. Newman Ltd., fine art dealers, 43a Duke Street, London on 16 December 1947 for £175 and thence by descent.

The present lot is closely related in subject matter, composition and handling to Munnings's 'The Last of the Fair' (1903), now in the Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston. A boy, similar in stature and dress (seated and asleep in this instance) is flanked by grey, chestnut and dark horses, with a marquee or tent in the background. Both paintings were produced in the same year and most likely at around the same time. 'Barnet Fair' may have been part of Munnings's exploration of a theme that culminated in 'The Last of the Fair' which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1903 (catalogue number 348).  

In his autobiography Munnings reflected on the horses used in 'The Last of the Fair', '...my mind records that the old white pony with the forelock and mane was none other than the grey belonging to my landlord, Mr Alfred Wharton, who farmed Shearing's Farm...He was one more of the many kind friends I seem to have made use of, for I was always painting that white pony' (see Munnings, An Artist's Life, Readers Union, London, 1955, p.75).  This same white pony appears in 'Barnet Fair' alongside what are very likely to be the same grey and chestnut horses.

Munnings later identified Jimmy Betts as the boy who modelled for him in his studio for 'The Last of the Fair' (see An English Idyll, A Loan Exhibition of Works by Sir Alfred Munnings, Sotheby's, London, 5-25 January 2001, p. 58, Cat. No. 10).  However, Munnings used both Teddy Holmes and Jimmy Betts as models at this time and it remains unclear which of the boys modelled for him in 'Barnet Fair'. 

When acquired from Newman's in 1947 the painting was titled 'Barnet Fair' in the family inventory. Despite the title, there is no record of Munnings ever having visited the Horse Fair at Barnet. He did however, visit many horse fairs in Norfolk and Suffolk while living at Church Farm in Swainsthorpe, near Norwich. The village that can be seen in the background of present lot is very similar to that featured in the 'Suffolk Horse Fair, Lavenham' (1901) in the collection of the Munnings Art Museum, Dedham. It was at the Lavenham Horse Fair where Munnings later wrote of seeing 'the scenes which started me off painting horse fairs' (see An Artist's Life, Bungay, 1950, p.139) and it seems more likely that the setting for the present painting is East Anglian rather than Barnet.

With thanks to Flynn & Giovanni, Art Provenance Research and to Jenny Hand, Director, The Munnings Art Museum, Dedham, Essex for their help in the preparation and research of this catalogue entry.