foxhunting

$1.8 Million Munnings Stars in Sporting Art Sale

A foxhunting portrait painted by British master Sir Alfred James Munnings in 1925 could fetch up to $1.8 million at Christie's Sporting & Wildlife Art sale in New York on Dec. 3. Titled F.H. Prince and the Pau Foxhounds, the painting (above), depicts American financier Frederick Henry Prince riding to hounds at Pau, his estate in the foothills of the Pyrénées. Prince had a stable of over sixty horses at the château, where King Henri IV of France was born in 1553. There are several other Munnings works in the sale as well.

Tags: Christies, Equestrian, Foxhunting, Horses, Sir Alfred Munnings, SirAlfredMunnings, Sporting art, SportingArt

The Classicist: On Equestrian Style

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Sports, Books, The Classicist

Followers of my sporadic style posts here have probably noticed certain threads running throughout; anglophilia, certainly, but also an affinity for all things equestrian-related: the polo matches staged by the likes of Veuve Clicquot and Mercedes-Benz; the Royal Ascot Races; riding boots by John Lobb of London; leathergoods by Swaine Adeney Brigg; and even classic sporting art. All these elements and more come together beautifully in Vicky Moon's new book Equestrian Style: Home Design, Couture, and Collections from the Eclectic to the Elegant, due out this week from Clarkson Potter.

It's a magnificent, much-needed extension of the horsey lifestyle portrayed in Hunt Country Style, the book I wrote about back in April. Moon divides her volume into different facts of the equestrian experience: In the Field, On the Farm, At the Track, In the Ring, On the Move, and Down the Road, focusing on all facets of horsiness and everything that goes along with it. The emphasis is on authenticity, not affectation; she barely mentions Ralph Lauren for instance except in the context of the actual polo team he fields.

Gallery: Equestrian Style

Racing tropy from Bonhams Sporting Sale.

Tags: Bonhams, equestrian, Equestrian Style, EquestrianStyle, foxhunting, Hermes, horseracing, horses, Hunt Country, HuntCountry, John Lobb, JohnLobb, polo, Ralph Lauren, RalphLauren, sporting art, SportingArt, Tattersalls, Vicky Moon, VickyMoon

Continue reading “The Classicist: On Equestrian Style”

Hunt Country Style

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Books

Life in the aristocratic Piedmont region of rural Virginia from Middleburg to Charlottesville, known as "Hunt Country," is of course mainly centered around equestrian pursuits. However, the preservation both of open land and historic architecture are of equal importance. Foxhunting has been popular in the area since the late 1740s, when the young George Washington rode to hounds, later establishing his own pack at Mount Vernon.

In a beautiful new book called Hunt Country Style, Kathryn Masson escorts us through some of the prettiest purlieus, including the seat of the Orange County Hunt, with which Jackie Kennedy often rode. While these days (as in any other desirable locale) there's been an influx of new money, for the most part the emphasis is still more on tradition than ostentation.

Click on the gallery below to take a tour of Hunt Country. Tally-ho!

Gallery: Hunt Country Style

Tags: Equestrian, Foxhunting, George Washington, GeorgeWashington, Hunt Country, HuntCountry, Interior design, InteriorDesign, Jackie Kennedy, JackieKennedy, Virginia

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