The Winner

The Winner, 1890. Photogravure after oil painting (n.d.) by Major Godfrey Douglas Giles (1857-1941): Note: Image to be replaced
The Winner, 1890. Photogravure after oil painting (n.d.) by Major Godfrey Douglas Giles (1857-1941)

Note: Image to be replaced

Name/Title

The Winner

Entry/Object ID

2001.01.06

Description

Print Photogravure (1890) after oil painting (n.d.) by Major Godfrey Douglas Giles. This image depicts a social gathering after a horse race with a crowd in Victorian dress, largely men, milling about in a rural landscape setting. The winning chestnut horse and jockey are being celebrated - the eye is led to the winner at left centre in the middle ground and the jockey, wearing red silks, has dismounted. The losing bay horse is on the right with his mounted jockey in yellow. To the far upper left, part of a terraced grandstand is visible. The location is likely England.

Artwork Details

Medium

Photogravure on paper

Subject Place

Region

Western Europe

Continent

Europe

Context

Horse racing is enjoyed and celebrated by people of all backgrounds. Currently in the U.K., horse racing is the second biggest sport, second only to football. As a professional sport, horse racing in the U.K. originated in the 12th century after English knights returned home from the Crusades with Arab horses. These horses were bred with English horses to produce the Thoroughbred horse breed that continues to be used for horse racing today. According to Guinness World Records, the oldest racecourse in the world still in operation is U.K.'s Chester Racecourse. 1539 is cited as the year racing began at Chester, although some sources argue for 1512. Chester was also the first racecourse to build a grandstand, ca.1817. Of note, unique racing silks and colours are used to represent the horse’s owner and also to allow race commentators and spectators to differentiate between racehorses.

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Major Godfrey Douglas Giles (1857-1941)

Role

Painter

Artist

Goupil & Co.

Role

Printmaker

Artist

I. P. Mendoza, Printseller and Publisher to the Queen

Role

Publisher

Date made

Apr 1, 1890

Time Period

19th Century

Notes

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY Born in Karachi, India, Godfrey Douglas Giles was the son of a Royal Navy captain. He was a successful illustrator, war correspondent and painter of horses, military scenes and battles, many experienced firsthand while on service with the British Army in India, Afghanistan, Egypt and South Africa. He also produced animal paintings and sporting scenes after retirement from the military. Giles was sent to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, to launch his career, and his first posting was in India in 1875. He saw action in the Second Afghan War in the late 1870s, and accompanied the Gordon Relief Expedition to Sudan, commanding Turkish cavalry at El Teb. Having attained the rank of Major, Giles retired from the army in 1884 and went to Paris where he studied under French painter Carolus-Duran (1837-1917). He successfully exhibited paintings at the Paris Salon and the Royal Academy, after which he settled in Newmarket where he depicted horses and horse-racing scenes. He produced numerous caricatures for the magazine "Vanity Fair", and his illustrations also appeared in the weekly "Black & White Budget". After the outbreak of the Boer War in South Africa in 1899, Giles was sent there as war correspondent and artist by "The Graphic" and "The Daily Graphic". Giles made significant contributions to the pictorial record of the Boer War. He was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal in 1903. Giles died at the age of 83 in Edinburgh. PRINTMAKER Goupil & Cie was a leading art dealer and engraving firm in 19th century France, with headquarters in Paris. Goupil established a worldwide trade in fine art reproductions of paintings and sculptures, with a network of branches in London, Brussels, The Hague, Berlin and Vienna, as well as in New York and Australia.

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Location

Titled bottom: THE WINNER Left plaque: Painted by G.D. Giles. Photogravure Goupil & Co. London Pub. April 1st 1890. Printed in Paris Right plaque: Pub. by I. P. Mendoza, Printseller and Publisher to the Queen. St. James Gallery 4A King St. St. James SW1 Copyright Registered

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Visible image

Height

48.3 cm

Width

72.4 cm

Acquisition

Acquisition Method

Gift

Date

1999

Notes

Legacy collection Donated by W.G. Ellis 1999, former UCBC Member