A magnificent Victorian silver sculptural trophy for the 1875 Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood.

A magnificent Victorian silver sculptural trophy for the 1875 Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood won by Sir Anthony de Rothschild’s racehorse Coomassie, hallmarked Emanuel Emanuel, Old Bond Street, London, 1874, modelled by the sculptor H. Owen-Hale, formed as a cast sculptural group with a ferocious depiction of fallen warriors and two knights in horseback combat during the defeat of the Saxons by King Arthur at the Battle of Mount Badon (late 5th/early 6th century), seemingly inspired by the engraving “Defeat of the Saxons by Arthur” by Charles William Sheeres (fl. 1851-1868) published in Cassel’s Illustrated History of England, Vol.1, illustration, p.25, published by Cassell, Petter & Galpin, London, Paris & New York, 1865, with shaped oblong ebonised wood base with curved ends, the sides applied with two silver plaques, one depicting the Landing of the Saxons in Britain, the other with the treacherous slaughter of the Britons by order of Hengist, the ends each applied with a shield and spears roundel, one inscribed GOODWOOD 1875, the other WON BY COOMASSIE, one of the fighting knights lacking the head of his battle axe, otherwise in fine condition, 72cm. high, 10,285gr.

Provenance: Christie’s 23rd June 1999 lot 59.

Goodwood House was purchased by the first Duke or Richmond in 1697. The races on top of the downs were introduced by the third Duke of Richmond and have been an annual event since 1801, public from the year after. The main meeting that has become known as Glorious Goodwood was and is still held over five days in the last week of July. The oldest race at the meeting, the Goodwood Cup, has been held since 1812, while the Stewards' Cup was first run in 1840 and the Sussex Stake the year after.

The trophy being offered here is for the Chesterfield Cup, named after George Stanhope, 6th Earl of Chesterfield and was first run under this title in 1841, although the race can be traced slightly earlier to 1839 when it was run as the Harkaway Cup. As the magnificence of the trophy would suggest it was a very prestigious race at Goodwood at this time. It is still run for today but over the years has been downgraded in importance and become a handicap race, albeit a valuable one - this year’s race sponsored by Coral was worth over £50,000 to the winner.

In 1875 the Chesterfield Cup was won by the three-year-old bay filly Coomassie owned by Sir Anthony de Rothschild, 1st Baronet (1810-1876), who had also bred her at the Aston Clinton estate in Buckinghamshire. Coomassie was to win the Chesterfield Cup again the following year, although sadly not witnessed by Sir Anthony who had died in the January.

The sculptor of the trophy H. Owen-Hale later worked for Copeland producing high quality work in the company’s range of Parian Ware, simulating classical marble sculpture in porcelain. He is also remembered for his public sculpture, a memorial bust in marble & granite of the architect Edward Pugin erected in Ramsgate in 1879 and can still be enjoyed today opposite the old Granville Hotel and close to the Granville Theatre.

The magnificent horse racing trophies of the Victorian period offered at Goodwood, Ascot and elsewhere invariably had a strong equestrian theme but rarely in a sporting context. Instead, designers took influence from historical events or imagery romanticised through literature and the arts in general. For many years the Illustrated London News published articles and engravings of these sumptuous trophies. Indeed, the present Chesterfield Cup has a write up in the edition published 31st July 1875, p.23, with the trophy engraved and illustrated.