Ypsilanti, Winner of the Great Jubilee Handicap at Kempton Park

GEORGE PAICE

Ypsilanti, Winner of the Great Jubilee Handicap at Kempton Park

Oil on canvas, dated 1904

Signed lower left

Presented in a decorative gilt frame

This accomplished late nineteenth-century British sporting portrait by George Paice depicts the celebrated racehorse Ypsilanti, winner of the Great Jubilee Handicap at Kempton Park. Painted and dated 1894, the work records the successful thoroughbred standing in a stable interior.

Ypsilanti is shown in full profile facing left, standing alert yet composed upon a straw-covered stable floor. The horse's rich bay coat is carefully modelled with deep brown and chestnut tones, enlivened by cool highlights along the neck, back and muscular hindquarters. The upright ears, attentive eye and finely drawn head convey an intelligent and spirited character.

A blue-grey horse blanket is draped over the partition behind the animal, introducing a subtle note of colour and reinforcing the stable setting. The pale walls and restrained interior provide a quiet backdrop, allowing the horse's elegant outline and athletic proportions to dominate the composition.

Particular attention has been given to Ypsilanti's conformation. The long neck, deep chest, powerful hindquarters and slender legs are described with the anatomical understanding expected of an experienced equestrian painter. Paice combines precise observation with a direct and decorative approach, presenting the horse both as an individual animal and as a distinguished winner on the racecourse.

George Paice (1854-1925) was a British painter best known for his portraits of horses, dogs and other sporting subjects. Working during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, he developed a reputation for characterful and carefully observed animal portraits. His paintings frequently depict named racehorses, hunters and family animals within stable, landscape or domestic settings.

The work is painted in oil on canvas and is signed and dated by Paice at the lower left. The inscription identifies the horse as Ypsilanti, winner of the Great Jubilee Handicap at Kempton Park, giving the portrait an important connection with British racing history.

The painting is presented in a decorative gilt frame with broad moulded corners and a foliate inner border. Its warm, time-softened finish complements the bay colouring of the horse and provides an appropriately substantial setting for the composition.

An attractive combination of equestrian portraiture and British racing history, this work would make a distinctive addition to a collection of sporting art, racehorse paintings or traditional country-house interiors. Its named subject, dated signature and association with the Great Jubilee Handicap give it particular historical and sporting interest.

Framed in a Vintage English hand made frame.

• Height 43.16 cm / 17 "
• Width 53.32 cm / 21 "