Mysteries of the Sporting Screen - Irish Arts Review

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1 RICHARD ROPER (fl. 1749-65) 1759 oil on canvas, twelve panels. Front of screen from top left to right: Mr John Knox and his favourite bay hunter; Mr Wilson, the owner of Wilson's Arabian and a close friend of Mr Knox, mounted on grey stopping at a watertrough; The 1st Earl of Kingston, Mr Knox's brother-in-law on his grey, conversing with Mr Annesley Gore in the grounds of a country house; John Knox on his celebrated hunter Steady with his 1st whip and hounds; John Knox dismounted, surrounded hounds, the 1st whip mounted and attended by his huntsman, on his grey by his servant at the death; Earthstoppers observed by a huntsman. From bottom left to right: A groom holding a grey stallion; John Knox dismounted from his light bay hunter which is held by Quin, the groom; Mr Wilson returning from the hunt on his dapple grey; a huntsman on a bay hunter blowing a horn, surrounded by the hounds; the 1st Earl of Kingston on his bay hunter conversing with Mr Palmer of Palmerstown, who is on his grey; a groom leading a magnificent bay hunter from the stable PhotoOSotheby's SUMMER 2008 IRISH ARTS REVIEW I 105
EQUINE ART IN IRELAND Sheriff for Sligo in 1752 and he went into Parliament following the general election of 1761 representing the Donegal Borough. In 1768, he was returned for Castlebar and he contin ued to sit in the Irish House of Commons until his death in 1774 at the early age of forty six. It is said that he was killed in a riding accident. Apart from politics, Knox's great passion was in those field sports beloved of country gentlemen, hunt ing, shooting and racing. He kept considerable stables at Castle Rea and in both 1758 and 1761 he was named Champion Owner in Ireland. He also kept meticulous entries in his Stud Book the introduction to which reads as follows: 'This Stud Book was commenced about AD 1750 by John Knox, of Castle Rea, in County of Mayo, Esquire, MP by whom, and in whose handwriting, entries were made to and for 1761 inclusive. It then passed into the keeping of his stud groom by whom, and in whose handwriting, the paintings on the reverse of the screen are adapted from works by Wooton and James Seymour. Nancy In 1755, Knox commissioned Butler to have his brood mare painted and in the Stud Book it is recorded that 'a por trait of this mare, and her filly foal by the Cullen Arabian is at No 7 Dominck Street' - John Knox's Dublin residence. It can be assumed therefore that Butler also arranged the commission for Roper to paint the screen for John Knox which is signed and dated 1759. However, how and where Roper completed his task, remains open to speculation. There is no evidence that he ever travelled to Ireland much less to the wilds of Mayo. The front of the screen is decorated with a dozen fox hunting scenes with six taller (114 x 53.34cm) designs on top and six smaller (71.12 x 53.34cm) ones below. Moving from left to right at the top of the screen, one sees first, John Knox with favourite bay hunter. Next is Charles Wilson mounted on a grey hunter, stopping at a water trough and talking to a rustic. Wilson was a close friend of Knox and owner of the famous Wilson's Arabian. Next is Lord Kingston, Knox's brother-in-law, on his grey hunter conversing with Annesley Gore, another Knox rel ative, with Next the facade of a country house behind. in the top row is another picture of John Knox this time on his celebrated hunter Steady, 'chestnut horse, got by Old Steady out of Red Rose' with his first whip and hounds. This is followed again by John Knox this time dismounted and sur rounded by hounds and huntsmen with his the first whip mounted on a grey hunter and attended by a black servant at the death. The reverse of the screen is painted with eighteen smaller portraits of some of the most famous racehorses of the first half of the 18th century entries were made to and for 1767, inclusive. Mr Knox died in 1774, and his stud was then sold, by direction of his will. On this occasion. the Stud Book passed into the possession of his Brother in Law and Executor, the Rt. Hon. Henry King MP upon whose decease in February 1821 (and the subsequent sale by auction of his, Colonel Kings's Books and so forth at Ballina, in County Mayo,) this Stud Book was purchased, (in a lot with other books) by John Frederick Knox, then of Thornton, afterwards Mt Falcon in County of Mayo, Esquire, a grandson of the Originator, and by him, and in his own handwriting, entries were resumed and continued.' The entries continued up to 1846. John Knox's connection to the very different world of art in London appears to have been through Thomas Butler whose well known establishment on the Mall commissioned and dis played works from the principal sporting artists of the day. Among these, of course, was John Wooton (1683-1764) who was considered for half a century to be the horse painter to the aristocracy and with whom Richard Roper worked closely. Roper was certainly much influenced by Wooton's work and several of Finally at the top right is a picture of estate workers observed by the huntsman stopping a fox earth. On the lower panels again reading from left to right, there is first a groom holding a grey stallion. Next is John Knox dis mounted from his light bay hunter which is held by Quin the groom. Next is Wilson again, returning from the hunt on a tired dapple grey hunter. Next is the huntsman on a bay hunter sounding his horn to call the hounds to heel. Next is Lord Kingston again on a bay hunter conversing with Mr Palmer of nearby Palmerstown House, another Knox relative, who is on the grey. And finally, at the bottom right, is a groom leading out a magnificent bay hunter from the stable. The reverse of the screen is painted with eighteen smaller portraits of some of the most famous racehorses of the first half of the 18th century (Fig 3). Most of the thoroughbreds are iden tified by an inscription which forms part of the trompe-l'oeil sur roundings and include Flying Childers, Bay Bolton, Lamprie, Aaron, Adolphus, Star, Oronoco, Jason, Othello, Driver, Babram, Wilson's Arabian, Victorious, Bajazet, Starling, and Cato. Of par ticular interest to John Knox in this list was, of course, Charles Wilson's chestnut Arabian. This horse was brought to England 1 06 | IRISH ARTS REVIEW SUMMER 2008
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Mysteries of the Sporting Screen - Irish Arts Review

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