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DOS2005-PC-200
The Portraiture of Othello or Black & all Black
DOS2005-PC-200

The Portraiture of Othello or Black & all Black

Dateca. 1760
Publisher Henry Roberts (active 1730 - 1790)
After work by James Roberts (ca. 1725 - 1799)
OriginEngland, London
MediumEtching and line engraving
DimensionsOverall: 8 1/4 × 5 1/4in. (21 × 13.3cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1961-270
DescriptionVerse reads: "The PORTRAITURE of OTHELLO or BLACK & all BLACK./ The Property of S.r Ralph Gore Bar.t/ He is a Horse of Size, Fashion, & Beauty, his Performance Denotes him to/ be the best Horse of his time, he was bred by W.m Crofts Esq.r & got by Crab/ out of Slamerkin, got by True Blew, her Dam by Ld Oxfords Dun Arabian/ out of a Mare of the Duke of Newcastle's brought of L.d Darcy of Sedbury,/ which Mare was in high Esteem./ See Crabs Pedigree beneath his Portraiture./ Othello 1748 won 50 Guineas Prize for 5 Years Old at Lewis & 50.£ at Stockbridge,/ 1749 the Kings 100 Guineas for 6 Years Old at Salisbury, Canterbury, Lewis and/ Newmarket, April 1750 at the Curragh of Kildare in Ireland he won the 100 Guineas/ given by the Society of Sportsmen and 50 Guineas at the Great Heath near Maryborough; & the Kings 100 Guineas in Sep.r 1751 the 5.th of Sep.r he won a Match/ of 1000 Guineas at ye Curragh of Kildare beating the Earl of Marche's Bajazet/ he afterwards became the property of Mr. Fryer; 1752 he won the Sportsmens/ Subscription Purse of 50 Guineas & the Kings 100 Guineas at ye Curragh beating/ the Earl of Antrim's fam'd Horse Gustavus, & Mr. Keatings Gelding Trimmer; after Covering Several Mares.
Label TextThe print depicts the famous English racehorse Othello or Black and all Black who raced under Sir Ralph Gore. After his racing career, he was imported to Maryland by Deputy Governor Horatio Sharpe in the late 1750s and he went on to stand stud in the colonies for about 13 years. The print comes from a collection of forty engravings after the work of James Roberts and engraved by Henry Roberts entitled "The Sportsman's Pocket Companion" published around 1760. Though the horses were drawn by James Roberts, they were likely after other paintings and prints of famous racehorses. The majority of the horses represented in the prints raced between 1708-1755. The collection was originally bound, but the title page stated that "This Work is Contrived that it may be Framed & Glazed in various Sizes, & will make most elegant & pleasing Furniture."

Verse reads: "The PORTRAITURE of OTHELLO or BLACK & all BLACK./ The Property of S.r Ralph Gore Bar.t/ He is a Horse of Size, Fashion, & Beauty, his Performance Denotes him to/ be the best Horse of his time, he was bred by W.m Crofts Esq.r & got by Crab/ out of Slamerkin, got by True Blew, her Dam by Ld Oxfords Dun Arabian/ out of a Mare of the Duke of Newcastle's brought of L.d Darcy of Sedbury,/ which Mare was in high Esteem./ See Crabs Pedigree beneath his Portraiture./ Othello 1748 won 50 Guineas Prize for 5 Years Old at Lewis & 50.£ at Stockbridge,/ 1749 the Kings 100 Guineas for 6 Years Old at Salisbury, Canterbury, Lewis and/ Newmarket, April 1750 at the Curragh of Kildare in Ireland he won the 100 Guineas/ given by the Society of Sportsmen and 50 Guineas at the Great Heath near Maryborough; & the Kings 100 Guineas in Sep.r 1751 the 5.th of Sep.r he won a Match/ of 1000 Guineas at ye Curragh of Kildare beating the Earl of Marche's Bajazet/ he afterwards became the property of Mr. Fryer; 1752 he won the Sportsmens/ Subscription Purse of 50 Guineas & the Kings 100 Guineas at ye Curragh beating/ the Earl of Antrim's fam'd Horse Gustavus, & Mr. Keatings Gelding Trimmer; after Covering Several Mares.