Horse judging, watercolour by Frank Prout Mahony

SV/372

fonds

probably 1890s

Graphic Materials, Watercolours

9668416

1 watercolour - gouache & watercolour on paper - 27.6 x 41.3 cm

Frank Prout Mahony was born in Melbourne in 1862 and studied in Sydney at the NSW Academy of Art. He was employed to work on The Picturesque Atlas of Australasia (1886) and during the 1880s and 1890s he was one of the best-know Australian artists, specialising in the subject of horses. His black-and-white works appeared in such journals as The Bulletin, The Sydney Mail and The Country Journal. He also illustrated several popular books such as Henry Lawson’s While the Billy Boils (1896) and Barcroft Boake’s Where the Dead Men Lie (1897). He died in London in 1916.

References:
Library acquisition file
Andrews, B. G. "Mahony, Francis (Frank) (1862–1916)." Australian Dictionary of Biography. Accessed 27 October 2022. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mahony-francis-frank-7462

1 watercolour showing three horses and six men. The man in the centre is examining a horse's leg. The most likely setting is the old Sydney Showground.

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

The vendor described the venue as Randwick Racecourse, but it is more likely to be the old Sydney Showground as there is a large spherical structure in the left background which corresponds with a similar structure at the Showground.

A previous owner devised the title 'At the Races' for the artwork. It was revised to 'Horse Judging' once it was purchased as this more accurately describes its subject.

Signed 'Frank P MAHONY' in the bottom right hand corner

Date based on information supplied by vendor