About this lot

Description

European School, circa 1700 An Equestrian portrait traditionally said to be Muhammad ben Haddu, Moroccan Ambassador to England, on an Arab charger oil on canvas, in a painted faux marble frame 207 x 189cm (81 x 74in)
Provenance: The Fairfax family of Bilbrough Manor and Newton Kyme, Yorkshire, according to the labels on the reverse; Mawley Hall, Shropshire Exhibited: York, Yorkshire Fine Art Institution, Lent by M Fairfax of Newton Kyme (according to a label on the reverse, date unknown but possibly 1889) Other Notes: The composition would seem to derive from the celebrated painting of Muhammad ben Haddu, when ambassador in England, painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller and Jan Wyck in 1684, today in the collection at Chiswick House. The sitter is clearly Turkish or a North African Arab, but despite the traditional identification of it being the Moroccan Muhammad ben Haddu and the close similarities to the known equestrian portrait of him whilst in London in 1684, both the landscape and style of the painting suggest a European origin and therefore it may well be another Turkish or North African military figure or ambassador.
Oil on canvas which has been lined. The paint layer has suffered from flaking and loss in the past which is evident in the paint texture and stabilised by lining. There is extensive overpaint across the painting There are scattered paint losses along the lower edge. The surface is matte and slightly uneven with white spots and splashes. The frame has a painted marble effect and a gilded sight edge which is in a good condition but slightly grubby.

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