Samuel Spode (1798–1872) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

painter best known for his equestrian sporting scenes, specialising in the portraiture of sporting and military horses.Adam's Auctioneers, Ireland, est. 1887: ''Samuel Spode,'' website. Retrieved 28 March 2024

Biography

Little is known about Samuel Spode's life. There are few sources and the information is sparse. Samuel Spode was born 21 April 1798. He was the grandson of

Josiah Spode Josiah Spode (23 March 1733 – 18 August 1797) was an English potter and the founder of the English Spode pottery works which became famous for the high quality of its wares. He is often credited with the establishment of blue underglaze trans ...

.Spode History: ''Samuel "Sam" Spode,'' his biography on the website ''Spode History Blogspot – All about the world famous pottery manufacturer,'' an essay by Peter Roden, the artist's great great grandson. Retrieved 28 March 2024

Marriage and emigration

On 6 February 1821, Samuel Spode married Mary Crewe. It was the time, when the British Government encouraged adventurers to emigrate to the penal colony of

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...

. And only a few weeks after their marriage, Samuel Spode and his wife, as well as his brother Josiah and his wife Maria Middlemore Garner, took their chance and tried their luck in Van Diemen's Land. In Van Diemen's Land, Samuel Spode had briefly served as clerk of the colony's Supreme Court, after being trained as a lawyer by his uncle, Thomas Fenton, who was married to Josiah Spode's youngest daughter, Anne.

Back in England

Samuel_Spode_leaving_the_colony_on_Saturday_15_April_1826_The_Hobart_Town_Gazette

While his brother and his wife remained in Van Diemen's Land, Samuel Spode and his family returned to England in 1826. When they returned to England, they stayed with his sister Sarah and her husband, the potter Charles James Mason (1791–1856), at their house ''Heron Cottage'' in the

Staffordshire Potteries The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Tunstall and Stoke (which is now the city of Stoke-on-Trent) in Staffordshire, England. North Staffordshire became a centre of c ...

. Within a year of their return to England, Spode's wife died. The cause of death may have been

Acquired brain injury Acquired brain injury (ABI) is brain damage caused by events after birth, rather than as part of a genetic or congenital disorder such as fetal alcohol syndrome, perinatal illness or perinatal hypoxia. ABI can result in cognitive, physical, e ...

, which might have been the result of a carriage accident back in Van Diemen's land in April 1825. Spode remarried several times, since by the age of 40, he had been widowed three times.Whyte's Auctioneers, Ireland, est. 1783: ''Samuel Spode,'' website. Retrieved 28 March 2024

Samuel Spode's passion – painter of famous horses

Even though Samuel Spode was able to make a living for a while with his legal training, he preferred to devote his time to painting. Painting was his passion, particularly animal painting, with a focus on horses. Samuel Spode loved equestrian sports. He painted many horse racing and fox hunting scenes. Spode also painted many famous racehorses, including ''

Birdcatcher Birdcatcher (1833–1860), or Irish Birdcatcher, was a Thoroughbred racehorse and a leading sire. Breeding Foaled in 1833 at the Brownstown Stud, in Ireland, Birdcatcher was by the Irish Thoroughbred stallion Sir Hercules, who lost only once, ...

,'' ''

Caractacus Caratacus was a 1st-century AD British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe, who resisted the Roman conquest of Britain. Before the Roman invasion, Caratacus is associated with the expansion of his tribe's territory. His apparent success led ...

'' and ''Voltager,'' winner of both: the

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

and

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...

in 1850. Other prominent horses he portrayed were ''

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,'' the Duke of Wellington's

war horse The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot design ...

, which he most famously rode at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

, and ''Ronald,'' the charger, ridden by

Lord Cardigan Earl of Cardigan is a title in the Peerage of England that was created by Charles II in 1661 for Thomas Brudenell, 1st Baron Brudenell, and the title has been held since 1868 by the Marquesses of Ailesbury. Since that time, it has been used ...

in the

Charge of the Light Brigade The Charge of the Light Brigade was a military action undertaken by British light cavalry against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, resulting in many casualties to the cavalry. On 25 October 1854, the Light Br ...

in 1854. At around 1845, Spode painted several paintings for patrons with

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric Megalith, megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, to ...

in the background. It can therefore be assumed that he lived briefly at nearby

Amesbury Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settl ...

. The painting ''The Pinckney Family Coursing at Stonehenge'' is regarded as his most famous work from this period.Art UK: ''The Pinckney Family Coursing at Stonehenge,'' by Samuel Spode, website. Retrieved 28 March 2024Blackbrook Gallery, UK, est. 1989: ''Samuel Spode,'' website. Retrieved 28 March 2024 Sometimes his patrons liked to be included in the paintings too, like John Dawson Duckett of

Duckett's Grove Duckett's Grove ''( Irish: Garrán Duckett)'' is a ruined 19th-century great house and former estate in County Carlow, Ireland. Belonging to the Duckett family, the house was formerly the focal point of a estate, and dominated the local lan ...

and the

Earl of Lonsdale Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784 (becoming extinct in 1802), and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowth ...

. In 1825, two of Samuel Spode's paintings were reproduced and published in

The Sporting Magazine ''The Sporting Magazine'' (1792–1870) was the first English sporting periodical to devote itself to every type of sport. Its subtitle was "Monthly Calendar of the Transactions of the Turf, the Chase and Every Other Diversion Interesting to the ...

Ireland: On the racecourse, marriage and death

In the 1830s, Samuel Spode travelled frequently to Ireland in search of commissions. However, he also worked as a horse trainer at the

Curragh Racecourse The Curragh Racecourse is a flat racecourse in County Kildare, Ireland. The racecourse is home to Ireland’s five most important flat races, known as the Irish Classic Races, Classics. Racing takes place 23 days each year from the end of March ...

for some time, as evidenced by a painting by Henry Samuel Alken Jnr (1810–1894), titled and dated ''S. Spode Training Eastern Bere / 1856.''Sotheby's: ''Samuel Spode – Pembroke, a Thoroughbred Horse,'' Auction: ''A Living Legacy: Irish Art From The Collection Of Brian P. Burns,'' London, 21 November 2018, lot 69. Catalogue note: Although firm biographical information relating to Samuel Spode is elusive, he is thought to have been a trainer on the Curragh, Co. KlareSotheby's: ''Henry Samuel Alken Jnr (1810–1894) – S. Spode Training Eastern Bere,'' Auction: ''A Living Legacy: Irish Art From The Collection Of Brian P. Burns,'' London, 21 November 2018, lot 70. Catalogue note: Henry Alken portrays Samuel Spode, horse trainer and painter, training ''Eastern Bere'' at full gallop while watched on by an elegantly dressed couple, presumably the owners. 'Spode wears the blue sleeves and black body of the owner's silks and instead of a jockey's cap, wears a cream-coloured top hat.' (Daire O'Connell, America's Eye, op. cit., p.97) In 1865, despite still being married to his fourth English wife, he claimed to be a bachelor and married an Irish girl named Delia in Dublin. Samuel Spode died in Dublin on 31 March 1872, leaving several children by several wives. Despite obviously still being married to the Irish girl, who was granted administration of his meagre estate, his death was registered by a Teresa Spode. Her connection to Samuel Spode has never been defined.

Legacy

Samuel Spode worked solely on commissions. Therefore, he never exhibited at any of the well-known exhibitions. As a result, he has been relatively unknown and unrecognised. However, his legacy is impressive, both in the number of paintings and the famous horses he depicted.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spode, Samuel 1789 births 1872 deaths British painters