Edward Fischer
Edward Fischer
born Austria 1828; arrived Australia 1853; died 1911
(designed by Fred WOODHOUSE)
1890 Geelong gold cup 1890
gold and ebonised wood
Geelong Gallery
Purchased through the Dorothy McAllister Geelong Gallery
Bequest Fund with the assistance of the Geelong Racing Club, 1996
The 1890 Geelong Gold Cup is the last in the series of eighteen gold cups made by Fischer in his Geelong workshop for the Geelong Racing Club’s annual Geelong Cup races. After the submission of various design options, this 1890 trophy crafted by Fisher has a cup-shaped bowl standing on a beaded and engraved central column. The lid is surmounted by a cast horse and jockey finial standing on a small circle of turf. The mounted horse is most likely to have been conceived after sketches by highly-regarded equine artist Frederick Woodhouse (1820–1909).
The 1890 Geelong Gold Cup was won by ‘Britannia’, trained by CJ Nicholls and ridden by E Power. This 1890 Cup marked the end of the long association between the Geelong Racing Club and Fischer. Towards the end of that year, he announced his retirement and, in 1891, sold his business before moving to Melbourne.
The Gallery’s acquisition of The 1890 Geelong Gold Cup—and the most recent acquisition of The 1874 Geelong Gold Cup—was made possible through the bequest of Dorothy McAllister, and the support of the Geelong Racing Club. Dorothy McAllister was deeply committed to the Geelong community and a keen collector. Since the establishment of the Dorothy McAllister Bequest in 1987, and the first acquisition under the terms of the Bequest in 1988, the Gallery has acquired 95 works of colonial Victorian silver and gold, and porcelain works of art dating from the 18th to 21st centuries, with several being of national significance. The Geelong Racing Club was founded in 1865, and commissioned the series of Geelong Gold Cups made by Fischer.