A fine sporting horse portrait painting of a chestnut hunter by Abraham Cooper. A saddled horse is depicted standing outside a stable block facing left towards open fields. His head is slightly turned towards the viewer to reveal a diamond shaped white mark on his forehead. Although the name of the horse has been sadly lost over time, the inscription on the bottom left tells us that he was owned by Mr C Webb and was aged 22 years at the time of the painting, suggesting he was foaled around 1828. Given the inscription, the owner most likely commissioned the portrait to commemorate the horse’s longstanding achievement as a hunter and favourite riding companion.

Abraham Cooper was born in Holborn, London on 8 September, 1787 to Alexander and Susanna Cooper. His father was an inn keeper and the family lived at Red Lion Street in Holborn. Although little is recorded about his early education, he is known to have started working at Astley’s Amphitheatre at the age of 13 before becoming a groom for the brewer Henry Meux. His close work with horses inspired him to learn how to paint and he began producing paintings of the horses in his care. Encouraged by Meux, he became a pupil of the animal painter Benjamin Marshall (1768-1835) who took him into his studio.
Under Marshall’s tutelage he flourished as an artist and developed a lifelong interest in historical scenes particularly of battles, which earned him the nickname ‘Battle Cooper’. In 1812, he made his debut at Royal Academy in 1812, becoming a prolific exhibitor there. In the same year he also began exhibiting at the British Institute.

He married Maria Goom on the 23 April, 1813. The couple lived in Robert Street, Holborn and went on to have 3 children together. Their son Alfred William Cooper (1829-1916) studied at the RA and became a well-known artist and illustrator. By 1817, he had moved to New Millman Street in Holborn where he remained for over 30 years. In 1817, he was made Associate of the Royal Academy and in 1820 was elected fully Academician.

In 1853, a few years after the death of his first wife, he married Francis McArthy D’Ebro a widow and the daughter of an artist. The couple continued living at Cooper’s home in Millman Street until sometime after 1861 when they moved to Woodbine Cottage, Woodland Street, Greenwich.

Cooper died aged 81 at his home in Woodland Street on 24 December, 1868. He was buried at Highgate Cemetery. Examples of his work can be found in many public collections including the Ashmolean Museum, Cromwell Museum, English Heritage, Government Art Collection, Harris Museum, National Trust, The Wilson, V&A and Yale Center for British Art. A number of his papers including sketches, correspondence and photographs of him can be found at the RA.

© Benton Fine Art