Curatorial Narrative “A Sketch Taken at Newmarket” presents itself as an enigmatic document of late 19th-century British sporting life. The anonymous artist’s technique is characterized by a measured approach to realism, tempered by subtle touches of caricature. Brushstrokes are linear and economical, laying down a foundation of fine lines that provide the skeletal structure for a drawing that eschews dramatic chiaroscuro in favor of an atmospheric weight that feels almost hazy. When enlarged to its considerable scale 50 inches wide, 44 inches high this drawing’s palette proves remarkably versatile. Blues predominate, from the palest azure to deep ultramarine, yet are frequently punctuated by flashes of white and black, which together create a chromatic structure that is at once classical and traditional. The artist’s use of brown as an undertone provides a warm, earthy depth to the scene. As it occupies a luxury interior enviro