🐎 c.1840 Victorian Horse Portrait — “William The Conqueror” by Samuel Spode Original Oil on Canvas | Framed Sporting Art Masterpiece

🎯 Subject & Medium

This superb original oil on canvas, dating to 1840, is an exceptional example of early Victorian equestrian portraiture by celebrated British sporting artist Samuel Spode (1798–1872).

Entitled “William The Conqueror”, the painting presents a proud side-profile portrait of a brown thoroughbred gelding inside his stable, rendered with remarkable anatomical accuracy and warm, earthy tonal depth.

Thoughtful stable details enrich the scene:

• Turquoise tartan rug marked “WC”

• Wooden bucket with matching initials

• Leaning broom

• Textured cobbled floor scattered with straw

🖌️ Composition & Technique

Spode’s brushwork blends precision and expression:

• Controlled strokes define the gelding’s musculature and facial features

• Looser strokes in the walls, straw, and floor add atmosphere and depth

• Warm sienna, golden straw, muted woods, and turquoise accents achieve a natural, harmonious palette

The result is more than a portrait — it is a quiet narrative moment capturing the horse at rest with dignity and presence.

✍️ Signed

• Signed by Samuel Spode in the lower corner

• Inscribed with the name “William The Conqueror”

• Original, unlined oil on canvas with clear authorship and subject identification

👨🎨 About the Artist: Samuel Spode (1798–1872)

A skilled painter and grandson of the Spode pottery founder, Samuel Spode specialised in equestrian and sporting subjects. His works include portraits of:

• Copenhagen (Wellington’s horse at Waterloo)

• Ronald (Lord Cardigan’s mount at the Charge of the Light Brigade)

• Racehorses such as Voltigeur, Birdcatcher, and Caractacus

His art featured in The Sporting Magazine

🖼️ Frame

The painting is set within a newly installed gilt moulded Larson Juhl frame, adding elegance and enhancing the artwork’s period character.

• Fitted with hanging thread

• Ready to display immediately

📏 Framed Dimensions

• Height: 77.5 cm

• Width: 90.5 cm

• Depth: 5 cm

🏛️ Provenance

• Private equine collection

• Framed by Smiths, 23 Anglesea Street

• Sold via Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood.

• Subsequently curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD

• Privately Loaned for Exhibition at the Famous Lord Hill Museum, November 2025

✅ Why You’ll Love It

• Rare, original Victorian equestrian painting

• Named racehorse depicted in full profile

• Rich detail and early 19th-century authenticity

• Collectible work by a respected British sporting artist

• Beautifully framed and ready to hang

📋 Condition Report

Professionally conserved by a Cheshire-based fine art restorer.

Conservation Summary

• Raised paint stabilised; reverse treated with wax–resin adhesive

• Surface dirt removed; losses filled and retouched

• Fresh protective varnish applied

• Additional copper tacks added; missing key replaced

• Canvas re-tensioned and secured

Current Condition

• Stable surface with characteristic period craquelure

• New gilt Larson Juhl frame in excellent condition

• Presents beautifully as a decorative and collectible artwork