- 77
John Ferneley, Snr. 1782-1860
bidding is closed
Description
- John Ferneley, Snr.
- Firebird, a chestnut hunter, and Policy, a foxhound, in a loose box,
- signed and inscribed l.r.:Ferneley Melton Mowbray 1845
- oil on canvas
- 114 by 156 cm
Provenance
Commissioned by Lord Henry Bentinck (1804-1870);
By descent to William Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland, Welbeck Abbey (1800-1879)
Literature
G. Paget, The Melton Mowbray of John Ferneley, 1931, no. 560, p. 150
Catalogue Note
The present work was painted for Lord Henry Bentinck, an intrepid horseman, and a devotee of hunting. He was Master of the Rufford Hunt in Nottinghamshire, and Master of the Old Burton Hounds in Lincolnshire, and he is traditionally thought to have laid the foundation for some of the best packs of hounds in England. The hound depicted was a bitch named Policy purchased by Lord Henry in a draft from Mr. Wyndham, as evidenced by the Fox Hound Kennel Stud Book of 1845.