GUEST: She was kept at Captain's Head, which was a farm in Scotland. She came down through my grandfather's side, through my mother. There is a reference to her, 1789, in a manuscript. Her name was Bottoms, which I believe meant "stamina" in Old English, I'm not 100% certain on that. She never lost a race. Other than that and the fact that she's against an Italian background, I believe, that's all I know about her.
APPRAISER: It is a wonderful portrait, and as I'm sure you know, uh, British art history has a great tradition of portraits, and that came to include their animals, as well-- their dogs, their horses, and other livestock. Unfortunately, the piece is not signed, but I would date it to around 1830. And it's in the tradition of the great animal artists such as George Stubbs, and continuing through artists such as Gilpin. I don't believe the frame is original to the piece. I suspect that it would have been in a much more elegant frame than, than this later 19th-century frame. In terms of the value of the piece, even though it's unsigned, I think it's a great example of English animal portraiture, and I would estimate it at auction between $12,000 and $18,000.
GUEST: Good heavens-- unbelievable!
APPRAISER: Yes. She's come up a winner again.
GUEST: Yes, she has indeed, bless her heart.