Lot Essay
John Lynwood Palmer, the son of a parson, was born at Market Rasen and educated at King's College, London. At the age of seventeen, to avoid being forced into the law or diplomatic service, he ran away to Canada. There, he spent eleven years working on ranches before coming to the attention of General Field of the U.S. Army, who set him on the road to his career. Returning to England in 1899, his patrons included Lady Warwick, the Duke of Portland, Edward VII and George V. Although his paintings have a slightly romantic feel to them, he was considered by many contemporaries to be the finest horse painter of his time.