Images

'The Dam of Gimcrack' c. 1750c. 1765

Start Zooming Stop Zooming

Current search

Previous
Current search
Add To Album

Date

c. 1750 - c. 1765

Description

A pencil, pen and ink and watercolour drawing of a mare, facing right. A groom and two other horses are indicated in the background in pencil. Inscribed below in the artist's hand, 'The Dam of Gimcrack'. Mounted together with RCINs 914349-914353. Gimcrack by Cripple-Miss Elliott was foaled in 1760 and bred by Mr Gideon Elliott at Murrell Green, Hampshire. There is nothing to connect Gimbrack or Miss Elliott with the Duke of Cumberland's stud. However, A.P. Oppé notes the similarity of the drawing to a horse and figures shown in a painting of the Duke of Cumberland on the Long Walk attributed to Sawrey Gilpin (RCIN 400928). He suggests that it is possible that the oil painting was executed by Gilpin after a watercolour by Sandby. Indeed a watercolour described as 'A Portrait of HRH William Duke of Cumberland inspecting the mares and foals in His Royal Highness' racing stud, at Windsor Great Park - animals by Gilpin', is listed as lot 62 in the Paul Sandby estate sale, 1817. The compilers of the catalogue apparently incorrectly ascribed the animals to Gilpin. Sandby may have incorrectly inscribed the drawing, meaning instead to write 'the dam of Herod', one of the Duke of Cumberland's horses.
Descriptive Medium: 'Pencil, pen and ink and watercolour', 'pencil, pen and ink', 'watercolour painting'