However, the statue had been transferred to the billiard room of the family’s Scottish residence, Taymouth Castle, by 1863, and it next appeared in a six-day contents dispersal of the property in 1922, where it is believed to have been purchased by the vendors’ mother-in-law.
The vendor is a farmer in the Scottish borders who decided to sell the statue because of the financial toll of Foot and Mouth disease, and she was delighted to see it reach £36,000 (plus 15 per cent premium and VAT) against initial hopes of £8000-12,000. The greyhound sold to a London buyer, John Hobbs, who is now hunting for the original pedestal, believed to have been left behind at the Taymouth sale.
2ft 2in high statue of the Marquess of Breadalbane’s Venetian Greyhound
UK: The white marble form of Cara, the Marquess of Breadalbane’s Venetian Greyhound, was the focus of bidders at Lyon and Turnbull’s sale in Edinburgh on June 30. Royal sculptor Peter Turnerelli (1774-1839), famous for his full-length statue of George III in state robes, modelled the 2ft 2in (65cm) high statue for the Park Lane apartment of the Breadalbanes, and invoiced the Countess for £210 in February 1811.
