Osborne, Robert A. - Corgi cover for Max Brand's "The Seven of Diamonds" Corgi 1955

Gouache on board, bears initials RAO, 42x33cm
cover for this Max Brand (Frederick Schiller Faust) authored
book "The Seven of Diamonds"published by Corgi T113 in 1955.
This is a serviceable Max Brand story. Its most compelling character is a horse whose unmatched speed is important to the plot. The horse is painted by Osborne as a chestnut with three white socks (except left front leg) and a white facial star. Secretariat was born 15 years later in 1970.

Robert A. Osborne was a great British painter of paperback novel covers
for Corgi and Digit, many with Western or military themes.
Surprisingly little is known about the man.
For an interesting *possible* bio see:
http://bearalley.blogspot.com/2010/01/r-osborne.html