Equestrian Oil Painting The Hunting Stud After J. F. Herring Senior c.1900

An atmospheric British equestrian oil painting on canvas dating to approximately 1900 and executed after John Frederick Herring Senior’s celebrated composition The Hunting Stud of 1845, now held in the Tate collection. The painting presents the working interior of a traditional British hunting stable. Four handsome hunters, comprising one grey and three bay horses, stand beneath substantial timber beams while their grooms prepare them for the day. One groom examines a raised hoof, another attends to the tack and a further figure steadies a bay horse by its bridle. Two huntsmen wearing traditional scarlet coats and black riding hats confer in the background, connecting the quiet discipline of the stable with the sporting activity to follow. The unknown British School painter demonstrates careful observation of equine anatomy, musculature and character. Fine detailing defines the horses, bridles and saddlery, while broader brushwork describes the straw bedding, timber structure and shadowed recesses. The rich sporting palette combines chestnut, bay, warm ochre, sienna and burnt umber. Cream highlights illuminate the grey horse, manes and harness, while the scarlet hunting coats provide strong accents of colour. The composition follows The Hunting Stud, painted by John Frederick Herring Senior in 1845. Herring’s design was also circulated through sporting prints associated with Fores’s Stable Scenes, ensuring its popularity among country-house and equestrian collectors. The term “after John Frederick Herring Senior” identifies this as a later painting based upon his recognised composition. It does not suggest that the work was painted by Herring or his studio. About John Frederick Herring Senior: John Frederick Herring Senior lived from 1795 to 1865 and became one of the leading British equestrian painters of the 19th century. Before establishing his artistic career, Herring worked as a coach driver and became popularly known as the “artist coachman”. His practical familiarity with horses informed his sensitive understanding of their anatomy, movement and individual character. Herring painted hunters, racehorses, coaching scenes, stable interiors and farm animals for prominent sporting patrons. His compositions remain highly recognisable examples of Victorian sporting art. Artist and Date: Artist: Unidentified British School painter Attribution: After John Frederick Herring Senior Title: The Hunting Stud Date: Circa 1900 Period: Late Victorian to early Edwardian transition Medium: Oil on canvas Signature: Unsigned Provenance: Private equine collection, Midlands, England. Trevanion Auctioneers & Valuers, Whitchurch, Shropshire, with auction-house label retained verso. Subsequently curated and catalogued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. Privately loaned and exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum. Frame: Recently presented in a richly ornamented Larson-Juhl gilt moulded frame fitted with AR70 anti-reflective glazing. The glass reduces distracting reflections and provides approximately 70 percent ultraviolet protection.