HERRING, John Frederick the Elder

The year 1825 saw the start of the scheme that made the name Herring a household word. The Doncaster Gazette arranged for him to paint the winners of the St Leger from 1815 onwards. The pictures were then engraved and published. In all, Herring painted thirty-four winners, thirty-one of which were made into prints. A series of twenty Derby winners followed two years later in 1827.

Like his father, John Frederick Herring the Elder, sporting and animal pictures define John Frederick the Younger’s work. Characteristically, he portrayed farm animals along the banks of a stream or in a farmyard, depicting them in a faithful, if not idealised, manner.

This painting is signed lower centre: ‘J. F. Herring’. With the painter’s increasing popularity, his father began to sign his own works with the tag ‘SR’ included on the end of his signature, perhaps feeling somewhat threatened by the progress of his son.

In this idyllic scene, three sturdy farm horses are presented against the blue sky and sun-dappled fields of a summer’s day. Pigs root around by a hut and chickens peck at the ground in perfect harmony with their equine friends. The placement of farm animals at the banks of a stream or in a farmyard, were characteristic of John Frederick Herring’s work.

This canvas depicting horses, pigs and chickens captures the tranquil rusticity of a summer’s day on the farm.

The painting is signed lower left: ‘J.F. Herring’.

Sir Mark Wood (1794-1837) was one of the leading racehorse owners of the 1830s. He is depicted here with Vespa, winner of The Oaks at Epsom in 1833, together with her trainer, H. Scott, a stable lad and a groom holding a grey hack.