Cracker is a wonderful example of an extra carved J R Smith rocking horse. my personal favourite maker, who traded in London from 1886 until 1916, meaning this horse is certainly over 100 years old.
 
He is what I would class as medium-large, measuring approximately 44" (112 cm) to his highest point with a 23" (58 cm) body length, and his stand is 53" (135 cm) long and 20"(51 cm) wide.
 
He was originally a nursery rocker, with two basket seats on either end, meaning he could carry 3 children at once. A previous owner has removed the seats and neatly filled the holes, so he can enjoy a quieter life now! The stand is solid with no sign of woodworm.
 
He came to me with several layers of overpaint, but thankfully lots of the original paint was well preserved. what is interesting is that Smith's paint pattern is generally quite simplistic, but this horse has beautiful dappling, which I can only assume is due to his extra carving. I don't know of any other extra carved Smith horses that have kept their original paint, so please send me a photo if you've got one!
 
The main areas of loss were his legs and rump, probably from little cowboys jumping from the seats onto his back (what fun!) The paint that has been touched up, I have aged to match the beautiful crackled and worn appearance of the original. The offside eye is unfortunately cracked and delaminated. I have considered replacing it, but I thought it would be a shame as he'd held on to it for all these years, but it is still an option if it bothers you.
 
The tack is all handmade form calfskin with a deerskin seat on the saddle, I have given it some very gentle ageing, but thought it acceptable as it is, but it could be aged further if required.
 
The mane and tail are horsehair, but wavy like the original cow hair would have been.
 
Collection is welcome from my address in Gloucester, but I'm happy to arrange a courier if required.
 
£1950
 
Payment accepted via Bacs, PayPal or cash on collection.
 
Please get in touch if you have any other questions.