The Duke Of Hamilton Winning A Pony Match At Cheltenham October 16th 1866 Watercolour by Finch Mason
$1,800
Art Sz: 10"H x 14"W
Frame Sz: 16"H x 20"W
Signed & inscribed with an account of the race, pen & ink & watercolour, paper to reverse inscribed in ink.
This picture was given to A.D.G. by Richard Marsh the Trainer to King Edward 7th & King George 5th as a Christmas present 1908.
The Cheltenham Pony Match on October 16th, 1866, was a historical equestrian match race famously won by the Duke of Hamilton.
Key Details of the Event
The Winner: William Douglas-Hamilton, the 12th Duke of Hamilton, who was a prominent and highly eccentric figure in 19th-century British horse racing and sports.
The Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, a historic town deeply rooted in British racing tradition.
Historical Significance: Match races (one-on-one challenges between two owners) were incredibly popular high-stakes gambling events in the Victorian era.
Artistic Legacy
This specific race was famously immortalized in a sporting painting by the well-known British equestrian artist George Finch Mason (1850–1915). His artwork, titled "The Duke of Hamilton Winning a Pony Match at Cheltenham, October 16th 1866," captures the finish line and features a handwritten account of the race inscribed directly onto the piece.
George Finch Mason (1850-1915) was a sporting artist, author and illustrator, specialising in humorous studies and caricatures. His father was a schoolmaster at Eton and he was educated there in 1860-64. He contributed to several books including Humours of the Hunting Field (1886), Flowers of the Hunt (1889), The White Hart and other Stories (1891), The Run of the Season (1902), and Heroes and Heroines of the Grand National (1907 and 1911). He was a frequent contributor to many sporting publications of the time and was ‘Uncle Toby’ of The Sporting Times. He also worked for Punch.