John Nost Sartorius

Thomas Miller Whitehead (1825–1897), London (according to a label on the reverse);

From whom acquired by John Dunn Gardner (1811–1908) in 1891 for £120 (according to a label on the reverse);

Thence by descent to private collection, UK;

By whom sold anonymously, Cambridge, Cheffins, 1 October 2020, lot 56 for £11,000;

Where acquired by the current owner.

London, Grosvenor Gallery, Exhibition of Works of Art Illustrative of and connected with Sport, February 1890, no. 225 (lent by Thomas Miller Whitehead).

Eclipse (1764–1789), the most famous racehorse of the English turf by Marske out of Spiletta, was foaled during the great eclipse of 1 April 1764 at the stud of the Duke of Cumberland. He first ran as a 5-year-old on 3 May 1769 at Epsom in a race of 4-mile heats, winning easily at 4 to 1 on. For the 2nd heat, an Irish gambler Dennis O’Kelly made a wager that he would place all the horses, pronouncing as he did so, the most famous phrase in racing history: 'Eclipse first, the rest nowhere.' Standing at just over 16 hands and of bright chestnut colour, Eclipse won all 18 of his races, usually beating his opponents by 10 or 20 lengths. He was retired early in 1770, mainly due to the lack of credible competitors, to the stud of O’Kelly who had bought him in two stages for 1,750 guineas. Eclipse died in 1789 aged 24 following an attack of colic. His skeleton belonging to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is on loan to the National History Museum.

Another signed version of this composition was sold at auction in 2010.¹ Another painting of the horse by John Nost Sartorius, showing the animal with a groom, is in the The National Horseracing Museum, Newmarket.²

¹ Oil on canvas, 30 x 38.7 cm.; London, Christie's South Kensington, 11 March 2010, lot 100, for £4,750.

² Oil on canvas, 35 x 44 cm.; https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/eclipse-11357