John Frederick Herring Snr. and Studio

Frank H. Kelly
Mrs. Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, Giralda, Madison, New Jersey (acquired from the above in March, 1927)
St. Hubert's Giralda, Madison, New Jersey (donated by the above, by 1990)

This intimate stable scene stands at the end of John Frederick Herring Senior's successful career.  Commissioned as an animal portraitist, Herring painted the thoroughbreds and prize-winning horses of the British aristocracy.  In 1845, the artist was appointed chief animal painter to HRH the Duchess of Kent.  Yet in addition to these royal commissions, Herring was also sought-after for his ability to capture the charm of the English countryside.  His treatment of farmyard subjects earned him much commercial success -- over 500 of his paintings became engravings, which were a popular and lucrative sideline for the artist.  These works then hung in many a country house and also adorned the walls of trainer's lodges, inns, and tack rooms.  Herring depicted his animals with a great sensitivity to their form and always placed them in a congenial setting, thereby preserving a bucolic vision of the English countryside.