501 - George Denholm Armour, RSA,

George Denholm Armour, RSA, Scottish 1864-1949- American, anxiously addressing powerful jumper: "Look here horse, in my country we sure walk under those things."; pen, ink and blue pencil on paper, inscribed with title beneath the mount, 21.5 x 17 cm. Provenance: with Martyn Gregory, London [VH 881]. Note: Armour worked primarily as an illustrator, producing hundreds of illustrations for The Graphic, Punch and Country Life, many depicting horses, hunting, polo and riding. Horses were central to his work and life: he studied military equestrianism at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna in 1910 and became an honorary member of the Meadowbrook Polo Club in 1913. He hunted with the Beaufort, Sparkford Vale Harriers and South Berks, and served with the Remount Service during the First World War. His equestrian illustrations also featured in the art competitions at the 1928, 1932 and 1948 Olympic Games. This charming and lively work is typical of his oeuvre, and comparable scenes have sold at Woolley & Wallis, Salisbury, on 26 August 2020, lot 182 (£700 hammer).