Gray Stallion Vezir and Anglo-Arabian Horses and Mares of English Thoroughbred before a Noble Stud Farm

Ref: 1230

Price : 29,000 €

Gray Stallion Vezir and Anglo-Arabian Horses and Mares of English Thoroughbred before a Noble Stud Farm

Karl Kasper Pitz (Saarbrücken 1756 - 1795 Prag)

Circa 1781

Oil on canvas

74 x 100 cm (29¹/₈ x 39³/₈ inches)

Exhibition: A similar painting is exhibited in the State Painting Collection, Speyer and in the Bavarian State Painting Collections, Neue Pinakothek, Munich.

Literature: The Cradle of Kings – 600 Years of the Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, ed. Charlotte Glück-Christmann, 2010, pp. 225 ff.
Berthold Roland, The Painters' Group of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, Painters and Painting of a Small Princely Court in the
18th Century, Heitz Publishing, Baden-Baden 1959
Sabine Jung, J.C. Pitz, Saarland Life Portraits, Vol. 4, Saarbrücker Druckerei u. Verlag, Saarbrücken 1989
The Zweibrücken Man and His Stud Farm, 250 Years of the Zweibrücken State Stud Farm. Hans-Dieter Nebe, Conrad+Bothner, Zweibrücken 2005

Description: Breeding of this breed began in the 18th century. In 1755, Duke Christian IV had several Thoroughbred mares brought to his newly founded Zweibrücken stud farm. The Duke was an avid hunter and horseman and had fallen in love with the Thoroughbred during a trip to England. His brother, Prince Friedrich Michael of Vienna, gave him the Arabian stallion "Vezir." The Duke tried his luck and had his expensive mares covered by the medium-sized gray stallion. The stallion wasn't exactly a beauty, although he had strong bones and good gaits. The result surprised everyone. His offspring were very elegant and excellent to ride and drive. The horses were approximately 153 cm tall, had correct hocks, deep chests, and fiery eyes. The stallion also sired many gray horses. One of "Vezir's" sons was named "Empereur"; he was the sire of "Hercules." "Empereur" and "Hercules" both became founding fathers of the new breed, which soon became known for its advantages. At the time of the breed's creation, few people knew that a backcross had actually taken place. The English Thoroughbred had originated many years earlier from Arabian horses, and the two breeds merged together. Above all, the stallions of this breed proved their worth as refiners in warmblood breeding, and the heavy farm horses became more delicate, faster, and tougher. When the French Emperor Napoleon saw representatives of the Anglo-Arabian breed, he was impressed by the horses' agility. However, stud director Strubberg was forced to flee to Fontainebleau with 78 stallions, 29 mares, and 24 colts. The war against Napoleon had reached the Zweibrücken stud farm in 1814. This seemed to spell the end of the breed. The stallions from Zweibrücken continued to cover the mares in Trakhenen for a few years, after which no one spoke about this breed in Germany for 150 years.