"Two Polo Players" c1956 Watercolour w/ Gouache by Maj John Board (1886-1975)
$950
Art Sz: 3 1/4"H x 6 1/4"W
Frame Sz: 10 7/8"H x 14"W
John Board was the polo correspondent to The Times for nearly 30 years. At one time a tea planter in Ceylon he also served in the Army, was a keen sportsman (he also wrote on golf as an understudy to Bernard Darwin) and was a very skilled polo player.
In addition to his many accomplishments, he was a talented draughtsman and equestrian artist, who was particularly adept at capturing horses in motion (especially polo players in mid-charge on the field of play). He is described as having "a natural ability for painting the polo pony at speed and catching the fine points of the game".
In 1956 John Board wrote and illustrated 'Polo' [Faber & Faber], which became a standard work on the subject. The picture here of an 'action-shot' of a polo player making a 'near side neck shot' is probably a study for that publication.
Board wrote and illustrated a number of other equestrian books including:-
"Horse and Pencil", Christopher Johnson, 1950
"Horses And Horsemen", Andrew George Elliot, 1952
"From Point to Point", Christopher Johnson, 1953
"A Year With Horses", Hodder & Stoughton, 1954
He illustrated various works for other authors including "Training The Racehorse" for Lt.-Col. P.D. Stewart D.S.O. [Hurst & Blackett Ltd, 1969].