King George I on Newmarket Heath oil on canvas 61 x 155cm Footnote: Provenance: Commissioned by the Hon. Charles Colyear, later 2nd Earl of Portmore (1700-1785), By descent to Thomas-Charles, 4th Earl of Portmore (d.1835) and then by inheritance to his widow Frances (d.1845) and subsequently by descent through the descendants of Juliana Colyear (1735-1821) wife of Henry Dawkins of Over Norton, Oxon and Standlynch Park, Wiltshire, To her grandson Rev. Edward Henry Dawkins (1794-1859) of Moggerhanger House, Bedfordshire, His Beneficiaries Sale, London, Christie's, 28th February 1913, lot 44 as by 'J. Wootton', When bought by Fores of Piccadilly for 210 gns., By whom sold to Algernon Dunn Gardner (1853-1929) on 18th July 1916, for £850 and as signed and dated 1722, Thence by descent to the present owner Literature: Walter Shaw Sparrow, British Sporting Artists , London: John Lane, 1922, p. 67 and illustrated from a Fores colour reproduction of 1914 after the original, between pp. 64-65; Robert Raines, 'Peter Tillemans, Life and Work', in The Walpole Society , 1978-1980, vol. XLVII, p. 45, no. 12 Tillemans came from Antwerp to England in 1704 and settled here where he found many patrons amongst the nobility such as the Dukes of Somerset and Rutland and the Earl of Portmore (see Provenance) who is believed to be here represented in red riding alongside the King. At the time of King George I's only visit to Newmarket in 1717, Colyear was not yet a Page of Honour to the monarch's daughter-in-law, The Princess of Wales (Caroline of Brandenburg-Anspach) which he became in 1719. Portmore, as he was to become in 1729, was also painted by Tillemans' contemporary John Wootton, with his trainer watching King George I's horses at exercise (Mellon Collection, exhibited as no. 21, 'British Sporting Paintings, 1650-1850', Heywood Gallery, 1974-75). Tillemans painted another representation of King George I at Newmarket (oil on canvas, 62 x 130cm, in the Berkeley Castle Collection) which shows the King on Newmarket Heath watching two horses racing accompanied by others also on horseback (Raines, no. 16, see Literature). As Raines (see Literature) points out that Tillemans seldom dated his paintings and the bulk of his work was done after about 1720, the present work like others similar (Raines, nos. ?9, and 10-12) were painted a good while after the Royal visit as mementos for some of those present on the actual occasion in 1717. In the present painting, not only are the King and Portmore identified on the frame, but so is the interpreter, for of course the King, having spent most of his life in Hanover, hardly spoke English. Behind the King ride other nobles and dignitaries. To the right, a string of horses is brought for inspection by the King. To the far right 'The Father of the English Turf', Tregonwell Frampton, is seen riding with a companion (see lot 68). Beyond, Tillemans not only shows the town of Newmarket nestling within the panorama, but in the far right distance on the horizon can be seen Ely Cathedral. Condition report: Oil on canvas with a wax-resin lining. The surface has a slightly lumpy texture in areas but overall the picture is in plane. The paint layer is stable but has suffered from extensive losses in the left hand area of the sky. There are dark age cracks and some wear and abrasion. Overpaint is mainly located in the damaged areas of the sky but there are a few areas in the figures too. The varnish is generally clear and even. The frame is in a good condition.