Equine Oil Portrait Kitty – Hunter Mare Signed By Murray McNeel Caird Urquhart
Kitty — A Sussex Hunter Mare, 1928, by Murray McNeel Caird Urquhart
An Original Signed British Sporting Oil Painting in Its Period Beechwood Frame
Highlights
• Signed and dated 1928 by Murray McNeel Caird Urquhart.
• An intimate portrait of a saddled hunter mare named Kitty.
• Painted in oil on its original canvas.
• Fine observation of equine anatomy, character and traditional hunting tack.
• Warm interwar palette of sienna, umber, ochre and softly modulated grey.
• Period stained-beechwood frame, understood to be original.
• Private Chichester equestrian provenance.
• Sporting association recorded by repute and carefully qualified.
• Privately loaned and exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum.
• Framed size: 57 × 49 × 2 cm.
Introduction
Painted in 1928, this evocative oil portrait records a handsome bay or brown hunter mare named Kitty standing quietly within her stable.
Already saddled and bridled, she appears prepared for the field. Her calm expression, balanced stance and attentive eye convey the combination of courage, intelligence and dependability traditionally valued in an accomplished hunter.
Murray Urquhart approaches the subject with affection as well as technical understanding. Rather than presenting Kitty as a generic sporting type, he gives her an individual presence, preserving the character of a horse that was evidently important enough to warrant a commissioned portrait.
Catalogue Details
Artist: Murray McNeel Caird Urquhart
Dates: 1880–1972
Title: Kitty
Date: 1928
Medium: Oil on canvas
Origin: British School
Subject: Saddled hunter mare in a stable interior
Signature: Signed and dated lower left
Inscription: “KITTY” upper right
Frame: Period stained-beechwood frame, understood to be original
Catalogue Note
The mare’s warm coat forms the visual centre of the composition. Layered browns, siennas and subdued golden highlights describe the shoulder, barrel and hindquarters, while deeper umbers establish anatomical form.
Touches of light across the saddle leather, white girth and eye bring the figure gently forward from the quieter stable setting. The surrounding wall and flagged floor are treated more broadly in muted ochres and cool greys, creating an atmospheric contrast with the precisely observed horse and tack.
This combination of controlled draughtsmanship and freer background handling reflects Urquhart’s position between established British sporting portraiture and the more atmospheric painting he encountered during his French artistic education.
Kitty and the Sussex Hunt Country
Kitty is portrayed as a refined working hunter, equipped with an English saddle and plain bridle. Her build, composed expression and balanced stance suggest the courage, stamina and dependable temperament traditionally required for hunting across varied country.
The portrait was formerly held in a private equestrian collection in Chichester and is associated by repute with the sporting country subsequently represented by the Chiddingfold, Leconfield & Cowdray Hunt.
The present combined hunt was formed in 1973. When Kitty was painted in 1928, the Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray packs remained separate organisations.
The Cowdray Hunt had been established in 1922, while Chiddingfold and Leconfield amalgamated during the Second World War.
The painting’s sporting connection is consequently presented as reported provenance relating to the wider Sussex hunt country, rather than as a documented assertion that Kitty belonged to the later combined hunt.
The Artist
Murray McNeel Caird Urquhart was a Scottish-born painter and illustrator whose career encompassed landscapes, portraits, watercolours and animal subjects.
Published biographical records document his studies at the Edinburgh School of Art, Slade School of Fine Art, Westminster School of Art and Académie Julian in Paris.
Urquhart exhibited with the Royal Academy, New English Art Club, Royal Society of British Artists, Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts and Royal Hibernian Academy.
His election to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1914 reflected his recognised position within early 20th-century British art.
His work is distinguished by careful observation, atmospheric colour and an ability to combine naturalistic description with painterly sensitivity.
Signature and Inscription
Urquhart’s signature and the date 1928 appear in the lower-left corner.
The mare’s name, “KITTY”, is prominently inscribed within the upper-right corner, providing a valuable contemporary identification of the subject.
Frame
The portrait is housed in a warm-brown stained-beechwood frame believed to be original to the painting.
Its simple linear construction and restrained finish are characteristic of interwar presentation and allow the mare’s colouring to remain the principal visual focus.
Light wear, abrasions and small losses contribute to its authentic period character. The frame remains structurally sound and ready for display.
Provenance
• Private equestrian collection, Chichester, West Sussex.
• By repute, connected with the Sussex hunt country now represented by the Chiddingfold, Leconfield & Cowdray Hunt.
• Professionally curated and catalogued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
• Privately loaned and exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum.
Dimensions
Overall framed dimensions:
Width: 57 cm
Height: 49 cm
Depth: 2 cm
All measurements are approximate and relate to the complete framed artwork.
Condition Report
Kitty remains in good, attractive condition for a painting dating from 1928.
The original canvas is secure and well tensioned. The oil surface remains stable, retaining good colour and detail, with minor natural craquelure consistent with age.
The artist’s signature, date and the sitter’s name remain clearly legible.
The period beechwood frame displays light abrasions, age-related surface wear and several small losses. It remains structurally sound and ready for display.
Please refer to the complete photographic record when assessing condition.
Shipping
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Attribution and Research Notice
The historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.
These observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. 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.
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