A dramatic original bronze equine sculpture by artist Claudia Steinley Shelhamer will be offered at live auction on Hall of Fame Night (July 1) at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York.
From the collection of late Hall of Famer Norman Woolworth, Claudia Steinley Shelhamer’s 1989 detailed equine group ‘Down on the Farm,’ is a bold composition which places the unbridled freedom of horses in a field in juxtaposition with the controlled power of a horse in harness.
Claudia Steinley Shelhamer, whose work features equine and western themes, first gained recognition as an artist in 1962 when her painting of horses crossing a stream was reproduced for the cover of the all-breed issue of ‘The Western Horseman’ magazine. Married to Thoroughbred racetrack developer Lloyd Shelhamer Jr. in 1989, the artist turned her hand to the interior design of tracks such as Sunland Park and others managed by Shelhamer.
Last sold in 2003 at the Harness Tracks of America auction in Lexington, Kentucky for $5,000, the auction of this fine work will benefit the care and conservation of art and artifacts in the historic collections of the Harness Racing Museum.
Those who cannot attend the event on July 1 but would still like to bid may contact museum director Janet Terhune for possible arrangements.
(Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame)