Private Collector, New York (acquired in England circa 1950s)
Thence by descent

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work is in original condition. The canvas is unlined. The painting may have never been cleaned. There are no retouches. The paint layer is quite thick, and some vertical cracking has developed in the sky, which will be eliminated if the canvas is carefully lined. As is typical for Munnings, there are some areas of pentimenti and signs of the artist having scraped the paint layer in the sky in the center right and in the trees in the center left. There may be one small paint loss in the grass in the lower right. It is recommended that the painting only be very lightly cleaned, and a small retouch applied in the lower right.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This present work is a clear demonstration of Munnings’ inventiveness, combining traditional studio practices while embracing a fresh, Impressionistic aesthetic. With the horses placed in profile high on the horizon, maximizing the conformational attributes of the animals, Munnings is referencing the iconic equine portraits of the nineteenth century. Munnings has also adapted conventions of eighteenth century landscape painting with the inclusion of framing repoussoir trees on three sides that contain the scene and direct the viewer’s focus to the central figures.  The trees also enhance the spatial recession as they push the clouds and other landscape elements into the far distance.

Diadem was an extraordinary racehorse, as the Illustrated Sporting News of 1927 reported: “The Hon. George Lambton has many times said that Diadem was the best mare he ever trained. This picture was painted at Newmarket when Diadem was at stud and mated to Phalaris, the outcome of which was the beautiful filly Dian, who won the Granville Stakes at Ascot this year. The foal in the picture is the colt (by Son-In-Law) since named Diadochos and he was Diadem’s first issue. The dam’s racing career is still well remembered and though there have been greater thoroughbreds on the turf her gameness has never been excelled. Lord D’Abernon was particularly devoted to her and kept her in training several seasons longer than is generally the case with mares. For this he was widely and (in his trainer’s opinion) unjustly criticized, for Diadem’s heart and the fear that the quality of her progeny would suffer under the strain of her long period of training is already dispelled by the look and abilities of Dian. In the course of her career, Diadem ran in 39 races: of these she won 24, including the One thousand Guineas; she was second 8 times; third 3 times; and only 4 times unplaced”.

Munnings had painted Diadem on numerous occasions (including Diadem, sold in these rooms, The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Walter M. Jeffords, October 28, 2004, lot 178), and the present work is almost certainly the most fully realized composition. Sunshine falls on their coats and highlights the muscles that make a great racehorse, her strong hindquarters and shoulders well delineated. She looks towards her foal, whose figure is set almost in relief against the background. Light beams down on his body while his mother is more shaded, thus focusing attention on the future of Lord D’Abernon’s racing success. The massing of grey clouds in the top two-thirds of the composition form a diagonal line through the mare’s ears and hind legs, dividing the canvas and ensuring that the foal remains the center of attention.