James Ward R.A. 1769-1859

This interesting painting of a Dartmoor ram, ewe, and wether was part of a monumental task undertaken by Ward to catalogue in paint the various breeds of farm animals.  The project was funded by the Agricultural Society, whose patron was the energetic John Southey, Lord Somerville.  Somerville's greatest agricultural contribution was arguably the improvement of the wool industry.  He encouraged the breeding of merino sheep, and an indigenous wool industry was soon thriving.  In 1802, a few years after the inception of Ward's cataloguing project, Somerville established his annual show of sheep, cattle and other animals.

The structure of the scheme was that Ward should provide a collection of two hundred accurate portraits of the main breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs, for which he would be paid fifteen guineas a piece.  Although an onerous task  the project gave Ward access to a host of important landed patrons such as the King and Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford.