ATTRIBUTED TO WILLIAM BROCAS (1784 - 1868)Valentine and SplendourA pair of equestrian portraitsOil on canvas, 63 x 76.5cm; Together with the skull of Valentine, inscribed 'Valentine Died at Gurteen, May 1842'Provenance: John Power of Gurteen, 17th Baron le Power and Curraghmore; to his widow Frances de la Poer; and thence by descent to the present owner. The paintings remained in situ at Gurteen de la Poer, Co. Waterford, until 1995 when Edmond Robert Arnold, 3rd Count and 20th Baron le Power and Curraghmore died on 20 November aged 84. They were left to his great niece who still resides in Gurteen. Equine sporting art and portraits were very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, with numerous famed racing horses immortalised in paint by artists such as George Stubbs, William Brocas, James Ward and John Frederick Herring Snr. Considering the importance of all things equestrian in Irish life and the continual depth of influence the Irish have in horse breeding and training, it is surprising that not more works such as these pair of portraits, are extant. Portraits act as remembrance of the sitter and in the case of this portrait of Valentine, it is supplemented by his physical memento mori, his skull which accompanies the paintings in this lot. He was the famous horse of John Power, who debuted at the Grand National of 1840, favoured at the 100/4. Despite having a relatively short-lived career, he died at Gurteen in 1842, Valentine's reputation was established in that first race, in which he was also ridden by his owner.Horse racing can at times be a bloody affair and this race was no exception. Many riders were dismounted, as their horses came up against the hurdles. The course was laid out with eleven obstacles and the competitors started from the bend at the end of the finishing straight beside the stables. The first to overcome was an iron rail of 3 feet 5 inches which lead into the Melling Road. The runners then jumped out of the road over a hedge and ditch 7 feet 11 inches high. After jumping the fence which was to become known as Becher’s Brook there was a sharp turn towards a canal. If the jump was successful there was steep landing on the far side for the competitors. It was at this point that Valentine is reported to have stalled in his momentum and corkscrewed almost backwards over the obstacle. By some feat of ingenuity and skill on the part of Power and a no doubt a touch of beginners’ luck, he remained in the saddle and was able to regain control of the horse. Despite other riders gaining considerable ground on Valentine, they completed the course and finished a very impressive third. This pair of handsome equestrian portraits depicting Valentine and Splendour (with his Jennet) are part of a series of four pictures, likely commissioned from the artist by John William Power, of Gurteen, Co. Waterford, J.P., D.L., (1816-1851), who succeeded to the title of 17th Baron le Power and Curraghmore in 1830. Power was M.P. for County Waterford from 1837-40 and is described as follows in Burke’s Landed Gentry, 1862, “Power, now De La Poer, of Gurteen…. married Frances, daughter of Sir John Power, Bart., of Kilfane, Co. Waterford, and dying 12th May 1851, left issue. His son and heir, the present proprietor of Gurteen, has resumed by royal licence….the original surname of De La Poer.”The present castle of Gurteen de la Poer was built on the site of a former castle by John Power’s son, Edmund de la Poer and designed by Samuel Ussher Roberts (1821-1900), who subsequently designed Kylemore Castle, Co. Galway, now Kylemore Abbey. Many of the architectural features used at Gurteen were also used at Kylemore. The same builder, Thomas Carroll, was employed to carry out works on both propertiesNiamh Corcoran, September 2019