This early 20th-century equine portrait by German artist Wilhelm Westerop (1876-1954) depicts a dark bay horse in a stable. 

Standing in profile against a stable wall, she wears a pale halter and turns her head slightly towards us. Two white socks and a narrow blaze provide distinctive markings. Her anatomy is well observed. The long line of the back, powerful shoulder and chest, slender lower legs and carefully articulated joints have all been studied closely. There's also a convincing sense of weight in her stance.

The painting has been cleaned, and during that process, the subtlety of her colouring became especially apparent. At first glance, the coat appears almost black, but light reveals warmer browns and deep reddish tones across the flank, with cooler highlights defining the shoulder and neck.

Westerop often painted horses in this way, simply studied within a stable environment. He was frequently commissioned to paint the beloved horses of patrons, and record them for posterity. In 1920, when this was painted, whoever commissioned or owned it would almost certainly have recognised this animal immediately.

Signed/dated in the lower right and held within a later frame.

Learn more about Wilhelm Westerop in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 20” x 16” / 50cm x 41cm
Year of creation: 1920
Provenance: Private collection, Germany.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Faint stretcher marks. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame in excellent condition.
Our reference: BRV2351