Inlaid Horse Picture

[Marshal Will]

The other day I was fortunate enough to gain possession of a family heirloom, an inlaid horse picture made by my grandfather. The horse in the picture was a famous race horse, the name of which I am currently trying to determine. The picture was entered in the 1915 Worlds Fair in San Francisco. At the time, my grandfather turned down a $30,000 offer by the horse's owner. The picture was passed through my uncles' and aunts' hands before it was left in a basement where it sustained serious water damage. The family tried to find a museum to restore it but no museum would tackle the job. Using the original wood scraps which had been saved through the years, my father restored it in the 1960's and it stayed in our family until his death when it got claimed by one of my surviving aunts. It has been hanging in my cousin's home until his passing this year. I never expected to get it back but the other day it finally came home. There are a few minor scratches in the frame and a little spot of grey mold on the back of the frame, which I will clean up. The finish has yellowed over the years and the colors of the wood have gotten somewhat subdued but the picture is still spectacular. When it is cleaned up, it will hang on my wall, over the stairs. This sucker is 59" x 38" and weighs quite a bit so I'll have to put some serious hangers on the wall. This picture has been a significant part of my family history and I'm really pleased.

[Zulch]

Marshal!! What an awesome story!!! Thank you for sharing. The 1915 Worlds Fair !! I’m so happy it survived the bumpy ride of time! That is just an amazing story. Not to mention a beautiful work of art! Sounds like your Grandfather was quite an artisan

[Hawg]

That is really Awesome! 30,000 wow that must have been a money making horse. Possibly Regret, the winner of the 1915 Kentucky Derby?

[Captainkirk]

That is an amazing story! $30k is a lot of money, but the history alone is priceless! I'm glad it finally came around to you and I'm sure you will do it proud!

[Marshal Will]

Marshal!! What an awesome story!!! Thank you for sharing. The 1915 Worlds Fair !! I’m so happy it survived the bumpy ride of time! That is just an amazing story. Not to mention a beautiful work of art! Sounds like your Grandfather was quite an artisan

Thanks, my grandfather was quite talented with woodworking. An immigrant (like most of us) from Denmark, he was quite proud to be an American. Danish was not allowed to be spoken in the home so the kids would grow up 100% American.

That is really Awesome! 30,000 wow that must have been a money making horse. Possibly Regret, the winner of the 1915 Kentucky Derby?

Thank you for the input. I don't think it was Regret because although the horse in the picture has a white blaze on the forehead like Regret, it also has a white sock on it's left hind leg, a white heel on the left front leg and dappling on the right side. The dappling alone would mean it could be a gray, bay, palomino, or buckskin, and extremely rare, chestnut (also like Regret). A right side photo would help. By the way, there are over 100 separate pieces of wood in the horse alone.

That is an amazing story! $30k is a lot of money, but the history alone is priceless! I'm glad it finally came around to you and I'm sure you will do it proud!

Thanks. Yeah, 30K was real money back then. Especially for a guy with 8 kids to raise. I'm totally in awe of how it came into my possession again.

[Miguel Loco]

That's awesome! What a treasure!

[Marshal Will]

Thank you, Mick. You said it!

[ShotgunDave]

That is fantastic Robert! The art itself is amazing. But the story behind it makes it even cooler. I'm sure you will cherish it even more now that you finally have it in your home.

[Len]

Great story. Great picture. Congrats.

[Marshal Will]

Thanks, Dave, Len. After close inspection, there isn't a lot to do to get it ready to hang. I do need to put up some heavy duty hangers on the wall yet.

[Navy Six]

Glad you value your family's heirloom. Forget the monetary value, that beautiful piece deserves to be treasured and passed down to your ancestors.

[Marshal Will]

Glad you value your family's heirloom. Forget the monetary value, that beautiful piece deserves to be treasured and passed down to your ancestors.

Thank you. You have that right. It has been a big part of our family history. There isn't a dollar value on something like that.

[Hawg]

If you're putting it up on drywall make sure your hangers are securely anchored in studs. I'd hate to see something like that get busted.

[Captainkirk]

If you're putting it up on drywall make sure your hangers are securely anchored in studs. I'd hate to see something like that get busted.

What Hawg said!

[Marshal Will]

Not to worry. I located the studs today and will put some stout anchor screws in them.