Thomas Blinks (British, 1860-1912), “Two Riders Jumping a Stream,” 1894, Oil on canvas, 26 x 19 in. Gift of Arthur I. Appleton
Benjamin Marshall (British, 1768-1835), “Match for 1000 CNs between Mr. Neville’s Sir Joshua & Mr. Holdsworth’s Filho de Puta,” 1816, Oil on canvas, 37 x 49 in. Gift of Arthur I. Appleton.
Grant Lamb (American, 1945-2017), “Smarty Jones,” Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 42 in. Gift of the Artist, Grant L. Lamb.
John Nost Sartorius (1759-1828), “Sport and Horse,” 19th Century, Oil on canvas, 28 x 34 in. Gift of Arthur I. Appleton.
Pierre Jules Mène (French, 1810 – 1879), “Standing Horse,” 19th Century, Bronze, 1 x 14 5/8 x 6 1/2 in. Gift of Arthur I. Appleton.
John Sargent Noble (British, 1848-1896), “The Watering Trough, late 19th c., Oil on canvas, 38 ½ x 83 ¾ in. Gift of Arthur I. Appleton.
William Schaaf (American, b. 1944), “Ardennes,” 1987, Oil and acrylic on canvas. Gift of the Estate of Mary Ann Cofrin.
The Appleton’s equine art collection spans over 3,000 years of history from around the world. As Ocala is heralded as the Horse Capital of the World, horses and equine art may also be understood to be part of the Appleton’s DNA. Mr. Appleton and his wife, the former Martha O’Driscoll, bought their Ocala property during the mid-1970s and established Bridlewood Farm, a thoroughbred breeding and training facility. Ranging from Eurasian Steppe Bronze Age horse-bridle bits to contemporary works, the equine art collection is particularly notable for its wide range of human-horse endeavors – riding, hunting, racing and farming.