Lot 108: John Forgie with Two Favorite Ponies, a View of Champfleurie beyond

James Howe of Stirling (British, 1780-1836) John Forgie with Two Favorite Ponies, a View of Champfleurie beyond oil on canvas 23¼ x 30 in. (59.1 x 76.2 cm.)

with Doig, Wilson & Wheatley, Edinburgh.
with Frost & Reed, London.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, New York, 5 June 1986, lot 71, where acquired by the present owner.

PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR


The name Champfleurie dates back to the 15th century and is said to have been given to the house by Mary, Queen of Scots, who often visited. It is situated two miles west of Linlithgow Palace in the Royal Borourgh of Linlithgow where Mary Queen of Scots was born. It was once the home of two of Mary's ladies-in-waiting, the palace horses were stabled there and Bonnie Prince Charlie is said to have rested the night at Champfleurie on the last stage of his triumphant march on Edinburgh in 1745.

The grounds of Champfleurie were designed in 1792 by the famous landscape architect Thomas White who was well known for his work at Scone Palace. The house in the present work was rebuilt in 1851 by Admiral Robert Johnston Stewart of Physgill and Glasserton.