Richard Reeve after John Francis Herring

CADLAND, Winner of the Derby Stakes at Epsom, 1828

19.5 x 15.5 inches

An aquatint in original hand colour, engraved by Reeve after Herring and published in London in 1828.

This magnificent horse was the property of The Duke of Rutland. The painting and subsequent engraving were commissioned to celebrate his horse winning the Derby at Epsom in June 1828. It was not a straightforward win though as at first the race was declared a dead heat with Cadland and The Colonel crossing the finishing line simultaneously. It was only in a deciding run-off that Cadland was declared the winner. As a thoroughbred racehorse Cadland took part in 25 races and won 15 of these although if we delve a little deeper, we find that several of these victories were termed walkovers whereby all the other horses had withdrawn from the race!

Richard Reeve (1803-1889) was an accomplished aquatint engraver of sporting subjects and the perfect choice to render Herring's magnificent painting into print. His career spanned the golden age of British sporting art.