Circle of George Morland (1763-1804) “Dasher and Slasher, F...

Hammer

€11,000

Circle of George Morland (1763-1804)

“Dasher and Slasher, Famous Hounds of Duke of Grafton Pack”, a pair, O.O.C., each approx. 99cms high x 125cms wide (39" x 49"). (2)

According to an original label on the back, these two engaging canvases, by ‘Morland’, depict foxhounds of the Duke of Grafton Pack, a long-established hunt that still thrives in Northamptonshire. In the first painting, the hound is shown standing on a rocky ledge, with a master of hounds standing below. Wearing a black riding helmet, white cravat and red jacket, the master has longish brown hair and holds a whip in his gloved hand. The hound stands on all four legs, head up, as if sniffing the air for a quarry. In the background is a Scots Pine tree, silhouetted against a cloudy sky. The master’s face is slightly asymmetrical, and he has a determined expression, which lends the portrait a compelling quality. An accomplished artist, Morland was also a noted dandy, who delighted in associating with jockeys, punks and pugilists, and it is possible that the figure of the master is a portrait of him. Some aspects of the paintwork are slightly naif, indicating that this is a copy after an original. In terms of identifying the artist, while an old label attributes the work to ‘Morland’, the style is more in keeping with the work of George Stubbs. It has also been suggested that it maybe by a little-known painter named John Everard.

In the second portrait, a huntsman is portrayed, again on the same level as the foxhound. Dressed in black helmet and red jacket, the huntsman is behind the hound, resting his hand on the animal’s back. The hound has its nose raised and tail curled, ready to spring into action. Again there is a tree in the background—an oak this time--and a cloudy sky, tinged with pink. A more appealing portrait than the first, huntsman and hound are portrayed in a closer, friendly pose. The man holds a hunting horn, and has a cord, tied in a bow, around his leg. The hounds in the portraits have the attributes of the best hunters: good shoulders, straight legs and strong backs.

Based at Wakefield in Northamptonshire, the Grafton Hunt is named after its founder, the 2nd Duke of Grafton, who commissioned William Kent to design Wakefield house and gardens. Another family seat, Euston Hall, some eighteen miles from Newmarket in Suffolk, home to the 12th Duke, remains a centre for horse racing. The house and grounds at Euston were embellished by John Evelyn, and Sir Samuel Morland, the latter providing an engine to raise water to supply the fountains and a corn mill. Born in 1763, the painter George Morland is said to have been a descendant of Samuel Morland. The 2nd Duke commissioned William Kent to build a banqueting house at Euston, while the head gardener, ‘Capability’ Brown, added ornamental lakes. The 3rd Duke, Augustus Henry Fitzroy (1735-1811), was an avid huntsman, while his wife was an even more avid gambler. When he took up with a mistress, Fitzroy’s private life became a public joke, as retailed in letters by “Junius”. An associate of William Pitt, Fitzroy had a disastrous political career; during his term as prime minister, he alienated New England colonists, and set the stage for the American War of Independence. He was also notorious for absenting himself from a Cabinet meeting on Ireland, so as not to miss a race at Newmarket, where a horse of his was running. He resigned as prime minister in 1770, aged 34. The Grafton Hunt was continued by his successors, and, apart from a period between 1842 and 1861 when the hunt was in the hands of a relative, Lord Southampton, the pack name has remained unchanged to the present day. Nowadays it is owned by trustees, but the bloodlines of the present pack can be traced back to the original hounds, including Dasher and Slasher, the dogs depicted in this pair of portraits.