Oil Painting Racehorse 'Spion Kop' Winner Derby Stakes By Frederick Albert Clarke

A Fine Important Antique English Early 20th Century Wall Art Oil Painting Portrait of A Racehorse 'Spion Kop' By Listed Frederick Albert Clark. Subject Equine racehorse portrait of Spion Kop winner of the 1920 Derby Stakes, facing left towards his stable outside with a large, tall sloping wall which has sphere capping on in the background with trees shown just behind, to the right is a large gate. A beautiful summers day with blue sky & white clouds overhead. The horse's blanket is resting on the stable door. The horse is also casting a shadow. Oil on canvas. Circa early 20th century dated 1920. This painting is distinctly signed in red by the famous English listed worldwide well-known accomplished artist Frederick Albert Clark. This is a fine example of his work. Frederick Albert Clark was born on 29 March 1869 in Islington, part of the Clark family of artists. His father was Albert Clark (1843-1928) and his grandfather was James Clark (1812-1909). His brother William Albert Clark (1880-1963) was also an artist. He was probably taught by his father and by the age of 21 had set himself up as an artist. He lived in Hornsey, Islington and Haringey and like his father specialised in painting animal portraits notably of horses. Clark was christened Albert but added the name of Frederick when signing his paintings in all likelihood to avoid confusion with his father. Provenance label, inscription & artist biography verso, original label showing the title of this painting and dated. Also inscribed Maire G Loders Spion Kop Winner of the 1920 Derby Stakes Ridden by F O Neil. Marie Loders was Giles Loder's wife. Giles Loder was the owner of the horse shown in this painting Spion Kop. The 1920 Epsom Derby was a horse race which took place at Epsom Downs on 2 June 1920. It was the 141st running of the Derby and was won by Giles Loder's Spion Kop. The winner was ridden by the American jockey Frank O'Neill and trained by Peter Gilpin. The Derby was run on an unusually hot day in front of an estimated crowd of 250,000 including the King and Queen. Spion Kop started at odd of 100/6 (approximately 16/1) in a field of 19 runners. The favourite was the 2000 Guineas winner Tetratema a colt noted for his exceptional early speed but with dubious stamina. Tetratema went into an early lead and set an extremely fast pace as he was challenged by Abbot's Trace (ridden by Steve Donoghue), while O’Neill settled Spion Kop well back in the field. Tetratema dropped back soon after halfway and Abbot's Trace led into the straight as Spion Kop made rapid progress from the rear. Spion Kop took the lead three furlongs from the finish and ran on strongly up the straight to win by two lengths from Archaic and Orpheus in a new race record time of 2:34.8. The most dramatic incident of the race occurred in the closing stages when Abbot's Trace was brought down in a collision with Sarchedon, who finished fourth. Reference sources, the Clarke family of artists, Wikipedia, 1stdibs & Christies. Having such magnificent, controlled brush work. Such a delightful equestrian horse animal lover's scene. Set in such an attractive gilt wood original frame. We only select & sell paintings based upon subject, quality & significance. We understand your purchase is for your home or as an investment. We provide friendly professional exceptional customer service. A superb equine collectors investment item. With hanging thread on the back ready for immediate home display. International worldwide shipping is available please ask for a quote. Viewings are welcome by appointment only for customer support please send a message thank you. Browse our exciting other available collections in our shop gallery happy shopping. Dimensions in centimetres of frame High (63.5cm) Length depth thickness (3.75cm) Wide (72cm)