This late-19th-century oil painting by British artist James Blazeby (1828-1889) depicts Mr Barton’s ‘Inkerman’, a champion bay racehorse in a stable. Hailing from Norwich, Blazeby was an experienced painter of horses and cattle.Produced in 1863, this charming depiction captures Inkerman at the pinnacle of his career, having been awarded both the Norfolk Hunt Cup and The County Stakes at Bury St Edmunds. The first was a relatively straightforward affair in which he led from the off and won “easily after clearing the dyke and fences in capital style.” While the second, the trickier County Stakes, was a closer race in which his rival ‘Farmer’ fell “twice during the last round”.Blazeby was well-versed in horse portraiture and worked as a professional animal painter for over 30 years. His style was somewhat ‘naive’, yet he forged a solid regional career, undertaking numerous commissions for patrons across the county. His earlier works tend to portray a variety of exceedingly rectang...