ArtByDesign Pansy’s Legacy “Sporting art” is a relatively modern term, referring to a genre that encompasses country pursuits, predominantly in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Often the style was referred to as animal pictures or portraits by people who appreciated them when they were first in vogue. At Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville, the Elisabeth Ireland Poe Museum of Sporting Art is a genuine reflection of the lifestyle and the art of the people who lived there. P PEBBLE HILL PLANTATION, PLANTED IN THE midst of plantation country, is more a sprawling grand estate of the Golden Isles ala the Vanderbilt’s and Rockefeller’s than a classic plantation home. From the lavish stables, gardens and even swimming pool, the magnificent neoclassical structure stands gracefully in South Georgia but could be located anywhere. The main house was rebuilt in the early 1930’s after the original home was lost to a disastrous fire which left only the east loggia standing, saved by a bucket brigade passing buckets of water hand to hand from the swimming pool to douse the flames. The present home is constructed of brick, with Italian marble floors, a sweeping staircase, grand rooms and a priceless art collection. Due to the generosity of Elisabeth Ireland Poe (Miss Pansy), Pebble Hill is held in private trust. Upon her death in 1978 the estate was opened to the public with all the original fine art, antique furniture, fine china, crystal, silver trophies and so forth of the Hannah family on display, including the collections of both Miss Pansy and her mother, Kate Hannah Ireland. Pansy was considered a trend-setter of her day. She played polo in the 1920’s & 30’s at a time when women did not play polo. She enjoyed hunting fox, quail and other game on the family plantation but it was her love of sporting art and the collection she amassed for which she is best remembered. In 2010 the Trustees of Pebble Hill deemed the art so significant they converted the second floor into display space and the Museum of Sporting Art at Pebble Hill was established. Visitors to the museum may now view the collection in one space which adds significantly to the enjoyment. A combination of bronzes, paintings and lithographs, all of which relate to sporting art are on permanent exhibition in the museum while many other works including the collection of first edition Audubon’s remain on the first floor in the living areas. Museum Director Whitney White says, “To me, it is a collection that represented what Pansy loved, the outdoor life and the hounds, hunting, and her horses. While Pansy was invited to visit the White House numerous times, she never went, preferring instead to pursue the sporting lifestyle not only in Thomasville but in Cleveland, Saratoga and Lexington. On exhibit are numerous works of art by John Emms, Charles Towne, Walter Hunt, Pierre Jules Mene, and Sir Alfred Munnings, all leading artists of the time as well as a wide range of other recognized artists, some of whom were personal friends. The centerpiece of the collection is by Munnings, ‘My Horse Is My Friend: The Artist’s Wife & Isaac’ and is considered by many collectors to be the finest Munnings in existence. Loaned for a brief period in 2013 to the National Sporting Museum 34 JUL/AUG <strong>2015</strong> • DESIGN&BUILD MAGAZINE
Right Artist: Thomas Blinks British, b. 1853, d. 1910 Painting: Hounds Over Fence Below Artist: Sir Alfred Munnings British, b. 1878, d. 1959 Painting: My Horse Is My Friend painting depicts the artists wife and her horse, Isaac.
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