from the Guardian  online 1 May and in print 2 May 

The Negro Page was an equestrian groom

The Negro Page by Aelbert Cuyp. Photograph: British Museum  [ ?  the painting belongs to Royal Collection] 

Letters

Sunday 1 May 2016 20.13 BST Last modified on Sunday 1 May 2016 22.00 BST

 

The painting in the Royal Collection now known as The Negro Page (Lost in Showbiz, G2, 29 April) is more interesting historically than is recognised. It is an early example of the horse portraits so popular in Britain – and also of the renowned Barbary mounts so prized by Europeans in the 17th century. The kingdom of Morocco, then stretching far south, was famed for horsemanship and the horses, together with their handlers, mainly of north-west African origin, were celebrated for what became dressage, as in the Spanish Riding School. Similar figures are shown in Mytens’ picture of Charles I “departing for the chase”, also in the Royal Collection and many other contemporary works. The “page” depicted thus represents a highly skilled groom and not a decorative “blackamoor”. Incidentally, the Moroccan coronation gift to Victoria was a pair of horses, continuing the tradition.
Jan Marsh
London