John Emms 1843-1912

The name John Emms was made famous by his sporting paintings, particularly those depicting fox hunting scenes painted towards the end of the Nineteenth Century. His exhibits at the Royal Academy include Foxhound Whelps of 1875, Foxhounds on the Benches of 1876 and His Lordship's Favourites of 1888. Digging Out was painted after Emms moved to Lyndhurst in Hampshire where he remained for the rest of his life. The picture depicts the moment of the hunt when the hounds have run the fox to ground and the leader of the hunt and his gamekeeper are poised to unearth the animal, whilst the hounds have already begun to excavate.