Sworders
Lot 1
â–² Sir Alfred James Munnings PRA RWS (1878-1959) 'Canadian Cavalry Watering Horses' signed 'A. J. Munnings' l.r., oil on canvas 63.5 x 76.5cm Provenance: James Putnam Esq.; a private collection, Canada; Phillips, Bond Street, 'Twentieth Century and British & Irish Art', 8 June 1999, lot 30, the property of an overseas collector. The David and Pam McCleave Collection of Modern British Art. Literature: Sir Alfred Munnings, 'An Artist's Life', London, 1950, pp.302. Exhibited: Russell Coates Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, 'Retrospective Exhibition of Works by Sir Edward Munnings', 2 April - 4 June 1956, catalogue no.22. Acclaimed British artist, Sir Alfred Munnings, is best known for his paintings of horses and rural scenes, but it was his role as a First World War artist, with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, that helped bring him significant recognition. Munnings, who had lost the sight in his right eye at the age of twenty (due to an accident involving a thorn while lifting a dog over a hedge), was unable to serve as an active soldier. Despite his desire to go to war, his partial blindness prevented him from enlisting. However, his fortunes changed when Lord Beaverbrook (then known as Max Aitken) intervened. Beaverbrook, who was instrumental in organising a group of artists to document the Canadian war effort, sent Munnings to the front line in January 1918 as a war artist. Living with the Canadian regiment, Munnings also captured the quieter, more intimate, moments of the war, and here we see both soldiers and horses at rest, providing a poignant contrast to the chaos of battle. His skill as a horseman allowed him to depict these animals with a deep understanding and sensitivity. Munnings' work was so well received that he was later assigned to the Canadian Forestry Corps, which was responsible for producing vast quantities of timber for various wartime uses. This experience opened up new avenues for Munnings, allowing him to explore different subjects and landscapes. His paintings from this period tell evocative stories of service, sacrifice, and the essential, but often overlooked, roles played by both soldiers and animals during the war. They also helped solidify Munnings' reputation as one of the foremost painters of his time. Condition ReportFramed: 75 x 88cm Presents well overall. The paint has been more thinly applied to the upper half and background areas in contrast to the thicker impasto areas of the figures and horses. There is a light scratch to the upper centre. On close inspection there is a little fine craquelure starting to emerge in places, most noticeably to the lower left corner. A further small light scratch to the upper left corner and a light abrasion to the upper right corner above the horse, by the tree. Small patches of discolouration by the horse and soldiers feet, please refer to additional condition images. Under UV light the varnish appears a little patchy, however no obvious restoration is apparent.
