David, the Property of Henry Villebois, Esq., with Two Other Coach Horses (Primary Title)
Benjamin Marshall, English, 1767 - 1835 (Artist)
Marshall’s depiction of the well-groomed and stylish coach horses of Henry Villebois, a country gentleman and amateur coaching enthusiast, prompted a contemporary critic to write that “it represents one of our highest and most fashionable forms of the Coach Horse, trimmed with respect to tail and mane, and harnessed in the prevailing style of the gay and splendid metropolis. … The Coach Horses of former days were comparatively Dray Horses; those of the present wear the semblance of Hunters and Racers.”
Inscribed, lower left, "B. Marshall p.t / 1802."
Paul Mellon Collection
2018-2019: "A Sporting Vision: The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art from the VMFA", National Sporting Museum & Library, Middleburg, VA, April 13 - July 22, 2018; Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN, February 2 - May 5, 2019; Frick Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, June 15 - September 8, 2019
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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