Grisette Grey Mare Equestrian Oil Painting Dated 1925 Painted From Life at Nantwich With Links to the Grosvenor Sporting Sphere and Cheshire Hunt

Details

Description

Grisette (1925)

A Rediscovered British Sporting Oil Painting by Herbert St. John Jones (1872–1939)

Painted from Life at Nantwich with … Read more Grisette (1925)

A Rediscovered British Sporting Oil Painting by Herbert St. John Jones (1872–1939)

Painted from Life at Nantwich with Historical Links to the Grosvenor Sporting Sphere and the Cheshire Hunt

Artist: Herbert St. John Jones (British, 1872–1939)

Title: Grisette

Date 19 February 1925

Medium: Oil on canvas

An exceptional original British sporting oil painting depicting *Grisette*, a beautifully conformed flea-bitten grey hunter mare standing in full profile. Painted from life at Nantwich by respected Cheshire sporting artist Herbert St. John Jones, this finely executed equestrian portrait combines outstanding artistic quality with documented provenance and historical significance.

Executed with remarkable anatomical precision and a refined understanding of equine form, the painting is among the finest surviving examples of early twentieth-century British sporting art. Jones captures the mare's elegant conformation through subtle modelling and delicate layers of silver, cream and charcoal against a rich dark background, demonstrating the technical skill for which he became renowned.

Beautifully preserved and retaining its original titled inscription, the painting has recently benefited from detailed provenance research restoring its correct identity after a modern cataloguing error. Earlier auction records confirm the horse's name as Grisette, rather than the later transcription "Griselle," reuniting the painting with its documented exhibition history and strengthening its provenance.

Today, Grisette survives not only as an outstanding sporting portrait but also as an important visual record of Cheshire's equestrian heritage during the golden age of British fox hunting.

About the Horse

Jones portrays Grisette with all the characteristics of an accomplished British hunter.

Notable features include:

* Deep chest indicating stamina and endurance.
* Powerful hindquarters providing athletic strength.
* Clean, well-defined limbs suited to challenging hunting country.
* Refined head with an alert, intelligent expression.
* Traditionally docked tail reflecting accepted sporting presentation during the period.

The reverse of the original canvas bears the artist's handwritten inscription:

Painted from Life at Nantwich — H. Herbert St. John Jones — Feb. 19th, 1925."

This important inscription confirms the portrait was painted directly from observation rather than produced as a studio invention, significantly enhancing both its historical and documentary importance.

Historical Context

The portrait was completed on 19 February 1925 during the height of the Cheshire hunting season.

At this time Cheshire occupied a central position within British sporting society. Eaton Hall, seat of the Grosvenor family, was recognised as one of England's great country estates and a leading centre of fox hunting, horse breeding and equestrian culture.

Herbert St. John Jones enjoyed documented patronage from the Duke and Duchess of Westminster, placing him within the artistic circle of one of Britain's foremost sporting families.

When Grisette was painted, Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster ("Bendor"), was among Britain's best-known horsemen and a prominent figure within the Cheshire Hunt. Jones was regularly commissioned to portray valuable hunters, carriage horses and favourite stable companions for members of the Cheshire gentry.

Although no surviving documentary evidence currently identifies Grisette as a Grosvenor-owned horse, the painting's date, location, quality of commission and the artist's documented association with the Westminster family firmly place the work within the wider Grosvenor sporting sphere. It represents precisely the type of bespoke equestrian portrait commissioned by affluent sporting families whose lives revolved around the hunting culture centred upon Eaton Hall and the historic Cheshire Hunt.

About the Artist

Herbert St. John Jones (1872–1939) worked from his respected studio on Hospital Street, Nantwich, where he established himself as one of North-West England's leading painters of horses, livestock and rural sporting life.

Renowned for painting directly from life, Jones received commissions from many of Cheshire's principal landowners and country families. Historical records confirm that his patrons included the Duke and Duchess of Westminster of Eaton Hall, firmly establishing his reputation among Britain's leading sporting artists.

Today his work is admired for its technical accuracy, careful observation and ability to capture the individual character of each animal.

Signed

* Signed lower left.
* Titled *Grisette* lower right.
* Fully inscribed verso in the artist's own hand:
*"Painted from Life at Nantwich — H. Herbert St. John Jones — Feb. 19th, 1925."
* Original "The Windsor Canvas – Made in England" manufacturer's stamp to the reverse.

Frame

Presented in a later giltwood gallery frame that complements the painting beautifully.

The frame displays only light age-related wear consistent with its age.

Dimensions

Canvas: 33.3 cm × 27.7 cm

Framed: 49.7 cm × 42 cm × 4.5 cm

Provenance

Private Collection.

Dreweatts Neate, 29 May 2002.

Originally catalogued correctly as Grisette and offered alongside its companion painting Silverbank. Both works were recorded as having been painted from life at Nantwich, with *Grisette* bearing the dated inscription of 19 February 1925.

The painting later re-entered the market under the transcription error "Griselle."

Careful examination of Herbert St. John Jones's original copperplate inscription confirms that the terminal letters clearly read "-tte," corroborating the original 2002 Dreweatts catalogue. The restoration of the correct title reunites the painting with its documented auction history and substantially strengthens its provenance.

Why Collect This Painting

* Original signed oil painting by Herbert St. John Jones.
* Painted from life at Nantwich in 1925.
* Original titled and dated inscriptions.
* Original Windsor Canvas stamp.
* Documented auction history with corrected provenance.
* Companion work (Silverbank) recorded in auction archives.
* Strong historical associations with the Grosvenor sporting sphere and Cheshire Hunt.
* Fine example of British sporting, equestrian and hunting art from the inter-war period.

Combining artistic quality, historical importance and documented provenance, *Grisette* represents an exceptional opportunity for collectors of British sporting art, equestrian paintings, country house interiors and museum-quality sporting memorabilia.

Condition

Presented in good exhibition condition.

* Structurally sound original canvas.
* Stable age-related craquelure and scattered foxing consistent with a painting over one hundred years old.
* Historic professionally executed reverse canvas repair that is secure and does not materially affect the painted surface.
* Giltwood gallery frame with light age-related wear and minor losses.

Ready for immediate display.

Professional Opinion

The historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional non-guaranteed opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD, based upon careful examination of the artwork, documentary research, comparative analysis, available auction records, historical sources and the physical evidence visible at the time of inspection.

Unless supported by primary documentary evidence, statements concerning ownership, patronage, commissions, associations or historical context should be understood as informed professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact. New documentary evidence may emerge that refines or expands current scholarship. See less