John Ferneley Snr.

William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (1757-1844);
Thence by descent 

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in fair condition. There is some minor flaking to the paint surface and a resulting paint loss in evidence, most notably in the lower left seemingly along an old vertical vertical stretcher bar mark, and in the upper right along the lines of a craquelure. Elsewhere there are two very minor losses above the horse's neck and parallel to his foremost hind leg and the paint in the surrounding areas has blistered slightly. There is evidence of an old repaired tear running vertically up from the horses tail for approx. 10 in. Otherwise the painting appears to be in good condition bar a discoloured varnish overall and some minor localised areas of surface dirt which should be treatable with distilled water. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light confirms the opacity of the varnish which makes further inspection difficult, but the painting would appear for the most part untouched. There is evidence of some very minor old retouching to the dog and elsewhere there is some more recent retouching to the flaking in the upper right and the aforementioned tear. Inspection under UV aslo reveals the presence of an adjoining minor reverse 'L' shaped tear in the upper right measuring approx. 5 in. FRAME Held in a gold painted wood frame To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com, or Ludo Shaw Stewart on +44 (0)207 293 5816, or at ludovic.shawstewart@sothebys.com.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (1757-1844) was one of the most significant figures in the history of hunting. In 1788 he bought the famous pack of the Cottesmore hunt from the Earl of Gainsborough, and except for a short four year break, served as Master of the hunt for an astonishing fifty seasons. He retired with great reluctance in 1842 at the age of eighty five. He is said to have hunted for several months of the year and at the end of each season rode the two hundred miles back to his seat, Lowther Castle with his pack as he could not be parted from them. He took great pains over the correct breeding of his hounds and did much to increase the fame and popularity of the Cottesmore.  Both he and his staff wore flat topped hats and in Mr Sponge's Sporting Tour, he is said to have inspired Surtees's depiction of 'The Flat Hat Hunt' with its Master Lord Scamperdale.  His position as Master was much helped by a series of family inheritances which left him in the early nineteenth century as one of the richest men in England, with an annual income of over £100,000.  On inheriting Lowther Hall, the family seat in Westmorland, he set about renovating it with the help of the architect Robert Smirke, producing what his great friend Wordsworth called 'a baronial castle' of 'majestic pile'.