Hanover Gallery, London
Ms Gurdon Howells, Washington, D.C. (sold: Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, February 27, 1963, lot 4)
Private Collection, United States (acquired at the above sale)
Thence by descent to the present owners

The work is in very good condition. The work is slightly dirty and there is some cracking in the thickest grey pigment. Under UV, no inpainting is apparent.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Marini's images of horses and riders are🐠 characterized by a mixture of playfulness and pathos. Here, the figures, set against a dark background, are captured in a series of quick, bright brushstrokes and bold blocks of unmodulated color. Echoing the images of horses and acrobats found in Picasso's Rose period paintings, this theme was also associated in Marini's mind with the equestrian imagery used by the Old Masters. The image of a solitary rider on horseback occupies an undoubtedly powerful position in the iconography of art history. &nb🦂sp;

In the present painting, the overlapping layers of paint give the surface the variety of texture similar to that found in Marini's sculpture of the same period. Fascinated by the richness of oil painting and the freedom it gave him, the artist himself commented, "Painting is a vision of colour. Painting means entertaining the poetry of fact; and in the process of its making the fact becomes true. In colour, I looked for the beginning of each new idea. Whether one should call it painting or drawing, I do not know" (quoted in Sam Hunter, Marino Marini, The Sculpture, New York, 1993, p. 37).