Persimmon Royal Racehorse Oil Painting with Jockey Jack Watts, c.1898
English School, Late 19th Century
Persimmon with Jockey Jack Watts, circa 1898
Royal Thoroughbred Portrait | Oil on Panel | British Naïve Sporting Art
Highlights
• Original late Victorian oil painting on wooden panel.
• A historic portrait of royal racehorse Persimmon and jockey Jack Watts.
• Inscribed “PERSIMMON” beneath the horse.
• Persimmon was bred and owned by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII.
• Celebrates the winner of the 1896 Derby and St Leger.
• Connected with Richard Marsh’s Egerton House training establishment at Newmarket.
• Painted in a charming English provincial or naïve manner.
• Influenced by the sporting tradition associated with John Frederick Herring Sr.
• Closely related in subject and arrangement to Emil Adam’s royal portrait of Persimmon.
• Newly housed within a handsome Larson-Juhl gilt moulded frame.
Introduction
An engaging late Victorian portrait of Persimmon, one of the greatest royal racehorses of the 19th century, shown with his celebrated jockey Jack Watts.
Executed in oil on wooden panel circa 1898, the painting presents horse and rider in formal profile against a restrained racecourse landscape. The composition commemorates Persimmon’s extraordinary career and his association with Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII.
Its naïve handling, expressive character and simplified setting distinguish the work from more academically finished sporting pictures. The result is a highly individual example of British vernacular equestrian art with considerable historical and decorative appeal.
Catalogue Details
Artist: Unidentified English provincial artist
School: English School
Period: Late 19th century
Date: Circa 1898
Title: Persimmon with Jockey Jack Watts
Medium: Oil on wooden panel
Subject: Royal Thoroughbred Persimmon with jockey Jack Watts
Location: Racecourse setting traditionally associated with Newmarket
Inscription: “PERSIMMON” lower centre
Signature: Unsigned
Style: British naïve and provincial sporting art
Frame: Recent Larson-Juhl gilt moulded frame
Catalogue Note
The horse is positioned centrally in full profile, allowing the viewer to appreciate his distinctive form, racing tack and relationship with the mounted jockey.
Persimmon’s elongated body and somewhat formal stance reveal the hand of a provincial painter rather than an academically trained sporting specialist. These qualities give the portrait a directness and sincerity that are central to its appeal.
The artist devotes particular attention to the horse’s head. A small, sharply painted eye, illuminated by a single point of light, creates a striking impression of intelligence and watchfulness.
Jack Watts is represented upright in the saddle, his controlled posture contributing to the picture’s commemorative quality. The carefully observed bridle and saddle contrast with the more simplified treatment of the horse’s anatomy and surrounding landscape.
A low horizon and white running rails establish the racing environment while ensuring that Persimmon remains the dominant subject. The muted combination of green, ochre, brown and pale blue enhances the painting’s warm decorative character.
The composition reflects conventions familiar from the work of John Frederick Herring Sr, whose profile horse portraits exerted a lasting influence upon British sporting art. Its specific subject and arrangement also invite comparison with Emil Adam’s 1896 portrait of Persimmon with Jack Watts at Newmarket, now preserved in the Royal Collection.
Persimmon
Foaled in 1893, Persimmon was a bay Thoroughbred bred at the Royal Stud and owned by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.
His sire was the undefeated St Simon, one of the most influential stallions in British racing history. His dam, Perdita II, also produced the successful royal racehorses Diamond Jubilee and Florizel II.
Persimmon made nine racecourse appearances and won seven times. His recorded victories were:
• Coventry Stakes, 1895
• Richmond Stakes, 1895
• Epsom Derby, 1896
• St Leger Stakes, 1896
• Jockey Club Stakes, 1896
• Ascot Gold Cup, 1897
• Eclipse Stakes, 1897
His victory in the 1896 Derby was one of the defining sporting events of the period. With Jack Watts riding, Persimmon defeated St Frusquin and secured a celebrated royal triumph before an enormous crowd.
Following his retirement, Persimmon stood at the Royal Stud at Sandringham and became one of the leading sires of his generation. His descendants included multiple Classic winners, extending his influence throughout British and international Thoroughbred bloodlines.
Jack Watts
John “Jack” Watts was among the most respected jockeys of the late Victorian racing world.
His partnership with Persimmon included the horse’s most important victories. Watts was admired for his tactical patience and controlled riding style, qualities that enabled Persimmon to settle during a race before producing his powerful finishing effort.
In the painting, Watts is presented with formal restraint, reinforcing the close partnership between a champion Thoroughbred and his trusted jockey.
The Prince of Wales
Persimmon was bred and owned by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VII following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901.
The Prince was an informed and enthusiastic supporter of horse racing. His Sandringham breeding programme produced several outstanding horses, with Persimmon becoming one of its most celebrated achievements.
The 1896 Derby victory united royal prestige with sporting success and was greeted as a national event. Persimmon consequently became far more than a successful racehorse: he was a widely recognised symbol of royal participation in the Turf.
Richard Marsh
Richard Marsh trained Persimmon at Egerton House Stables in Newmarket, the historic centre of British flat racing.
As the Prince of Wales’s trainer, Marsh managed a distinguished group of royal horses. His preparation of Persimmon enabled the colt to succeed in both Classic races and major contests requiring very different combinations of speed and stamina.
Marsh’s association connects the portrait directly with the professional racing establishment of late Victorian Newmarket.
The Artist and Influences
The artist has not presently been identified but appears to have worked within the English provincial sporting tradition during the closing years of the 19th century.
The direct profile, clearly named horse and minimal landscape descend from conventions popularised by John Frederick Herring Sr and adopted widely by later sporting painters.
The picture should not be understood as a work by Herring, who died in 1865. The comparison refers instead to the continued influence of his compositional vocabulary upon later British equestrian art.
The portrayal also relates closely to Emil Adam’s established image of Persimmon with Jack Watts at Newmarket. The possibility that Adam’s portrait, or a contemporary reproduction of it, informed the present work merits consideration.
Provenance
Side Door Studio, Winchester, Hampshire.
Paul Ting, Thorpe, Suffolk.
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
Dimensions
Visible image:
29 cm wide × 23.5 cm high
Framed:
42.5 cm wide × 36.5 cm high × 4 cm deep
All dimensions are approximate.
Condition Report
The wooden panel is structurally sound. A vertical join is visible within the support and presently remains stable.
The surface exhibits spotting and staining associated with age, together with small abrasions, scattered paint losses and localised disturbance to the varnish.
Fine and generally even craquelure extends across the composition, most noticeably within the sky and foreground. The paint has been applied thinly, with visible brushwork and occasional areas of exposed ground consistent with the artist’s naïve provincial technique.
The reverse bears customary age and handling marks.
The painting has recently been fitted within a Larson-Juhl gilt moulded frame that complements its period character and warm tonal range. Despite the age-related surface issues, it presents with good colour, clarity and considerable decorative appeal.
The catalogue photographs form an important part of the condition assessment. Further photographs and information are available upon request.
Shipping
Worldwide shipping is available.
The painting will be professionally packaged with appropriate protective materials and fully insured for transit. Please contact us for a tailored international delivery quotation or to arrange collection.
Attribution & Research Notice
The historical observations, racehorse and jockey identification, dating, artistic comparisons, provenance research and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional, non-guaranteed opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the inscription, subject, visible characteristics, stylistic analysis, available provenance, Royal Collection records, comparative research, published reference material and professional experience within the international fine art market.
The description “in the manner of John Frederick Herring Sr” identifies a stylistic relationship with the broader sporting tradition associated with Herring. It does not constitute an attribution to Herring, his studio or his immediate circle. The comparison with Emil Adam’s portrait of Persimmon represents an informed visual and historical observation. It should not be interpreted as proof that the present painting was copied directly from Adam’s work without further documentary evidence.
The racecourse setting is associated with Newmarket through Persimmon’s training history and comparable royal portraits. Its precise geographical location remains unconfirmed. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Specialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art. Every artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.
Additional photographs and further information are available upon request.
