Henry Stull

Thomas J. Healey, New Jersey (acquired directly from the artist)
Margaret Healey (his daughter)
By descent from the above to the present owner

Original canvas is not lined. SURFACE: in generally good condition; very faint craquelure, surface dirt, one brown spot of discoloration (center top), selectively varnished (most noticeable on the horse), faint pentimenti mainly around top of figure and top of neck of horse, slightly darkened varnish (probably by the artist). UNDER UV: no apperent inpainting.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Thomas J. Healey was one of the most celebrated horse trainers of his day. TJ, as he was known to friends and colleagues, was only 22 when he had saddled his first winner at the recognized track at Gravesend in Brooklyn.  His fifty-eight year career included saddling five Preakness winners and training two of the greatest horses of modern time, Top Flight and Equipoise.  As his Racing Hall of Fame plaque states, “his death signaled the end of an era, for he was the last of the trainers who had dominated New York racing around the turn of the century.”

TJ had an exceptional art collection that reflected his zeal for racing, which he purchased directly from the artist Henry Stull, one of the most prominent nineteenth-century painters of thoroughbred racehorses in America.  Stull’s flattering horse portraits with their highly accurate musculature—the anatomy for which he studied at a veterinary college—hung in every prominent New York and Brooklyn Jockey Club, and they attracted the attention of prominent Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners. Sotheby’s is delighted to offer seven paintings from Mr. Healey’s personal collection of Stull’s works.