Sir Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S. (1878-1959)

Davy Jones with the Hon. Anthony Mildmay up

oil on canvas

signed 'A.J. Munnings' (lower left)

36 x 44 in. (91.5 x 111.5 cm)

41 3/4 x 50 in. (106 x 127 cm) framed



Provenance:

Commissioned by Francis Bingham Mildmay, 1st Baron Mildmay of Flete (1861-1947), in 1937;

Thence by descent;

Christie's, New York, 1 December 1999, lot 162;

Private collection.



Exhibited:

London, Royal Academy, 1938, number 59.



Literature:

L. Lindsay, Portraits of Horses and English Life, 1939, p. 147, illustrated no.76.

A.J. Munnings, The Second Burst, 1951, pp. 151-2, illustrated opp. p.152.

R. Mortimer, Anthony Mildmay, 1956, illustrated as colour frontispiece.

J. Fairly, Great Racehorses in Art, 1984, pp. 175-7, illustrated.



The present painting was commissioned from Munnings in 1937 by Francis Bingham Mildmay, 1st Baron Mildmay of Flete (1861-1947) and shows his son, Anthony Bingham Mildmay (1909-1950) on Davy Jones in the paddock at Aintree before the 1936 Grand National. The two men in the picture behind Davy Jones are, on the right, Francis Mildmay and, on the left, the horse’s trainer, Harry Wightman.



Davy Jones started at 100-1, led all the way and was clear of Fulke Walwyn on Reynoldstown when, jumping the second last fence Anthony Mildmay slipped the reins to allow Davy Jones to balance himself, only to find that the buckle at the end of the reins had come undone and they slipped through his hands, leaving him without any control. Davy Jones ran out at the last fence and Reynoldstown went on to win.



This was Munnings’ second commission for Lord Mildmay, having previously painted the large scale Lord and Lady Mildmay of Flete, with their Children, Helen and Anthony, with a View towards Ermington in Devonshire in 1923, which was exhibited at The Royal Academy the following year. The painting was later sold at Christie’s, New York, 1 December 1999, lot 144 ($4,292,500).