Portrait owned by North Devon’s very own Rolling Stone is up for auction

A historic stallion portrait once displayed by Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts and his wife Shirley at their North Devon home is expected to fetch up to £20,000 when it goes up for auction.

Horse mad Charlie and Shirley had up to 250 animals at their Halsdon Manor home in Dolton during their lifetime – as well as an impressive collection of equine pictures.

One of the best, entitled Eagle, will go under the hammer at Sloane Street Auctions during its next sale in London on February 5.

Charlie, who passed away in 2021 and Shirley, who died just over a year later aged 84, were both celebrated for their love of and dedication to horses.

READ NEXT: Dolton remembers resident Rolling Stone Charlie Watts

The couple, who lived at their 16th century Halsdon Manor 600-acre estate, were highly regarded in Dolton and supported the village, including donating to local good causes and even officially reopening the refurbished village hall.

They bred Arabian horses on their estate and at one time, the collection was considered among the finest in the world.

The portrait of Eagle, the celebrated stallion, is by the noted British animal painter James Ward (1769-1859) and is expected to fetch up to £20,000 in the auction.

The portrait of Eagle, the celebrated stallion, is by the noted British animal painter James Ward (1769-1859) and is expected to fetch up to £20,000 in the auction.

Depicted in a landscape, with a castle beyond, the thoroughbred was originally known as Brother to Spread Eagle, and was a favourite for the Derby on May 9, 1799, where he came third. Foaled in 1795, Eagle was owned by the Duke of Grafton and later Sir Charles Bunbury.

It was Bunbury who reputedly tossed a coin with the Earl of Derby to decide the name of what would become the world’s greatest horse race – Bunbury lost and The Derby passed into legend.

Eagle was a bay colt celebrated for his strength and speed and ran for six seasons, exclusively at Newmarket, before being exported to Virginia in 1811, where he was an important influence on the development of American bloodstock.

Sloane Street Auctions owner Daniel Hunt, a noted breeder of thoroughbreds himself, said: “The quality of this picture is outstanding and demonstrates clearly that Charlie and Shirley Watts had as good an eye for painting as they did for horses themselves.”

The 32 x 44 in oil on canvas, signed with a monogram lower right, has an estimate of £10,000-20,000.

Mr Hunt added: “These sort of pieces would have been a natural fit for Christie’s South Kensington in its day. But now that has gone, we find that consignors tend to come to us, so we are delighted to play our part in keeping this tradition of higher end works coming to London beyond the confines of Bond Street and St James.

“It is also a happy coincidence that our auctioneer, Hugh Edmeades, was Christie’s South Kensington’s former chairman.”

Live online bidding is available via Sloane Street Auctions’ website at www.sloanestreetauctions.com

READ NEXT: North Devon woman dances through decades to celebrate 104th birthday