John Frederick Herring Jr. (British, 1815–1907), “Farmyard With Horses, Ducks and Roosters,” Oil on Canvas

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Produced by the preeminent John Frederick Herring Jr., this oil on canvas painting, “Horses, Ducks, and Roosters,” depicts a pastoral … Read more Produced by the preeminent John Frederick Herring Jr., this oil on canvas painting, “Horses, Ducks, and Roosters,” depicts a pastoral scene characteristic of Victorian nostalgia. Following the explosion of factories and manufacturing towns during the Industrial Era, the English increasingly left their idyllic country homes for cities like London, and with these moves came a longing for the pastoral picturesque: farm animals, blue skies over long stretches of pasture, and English cottages. Simultaneously, wealthy British landowners were commissioning paintings of their livestock.

John Frederick Herring Sr., the father of the painter of this piece, staged his artistic career on this singular English yearning for country life. In the early nineteenth century, Herring Sr. began to paint hunters and racehorses for the gentry. In 1845, he was appointed Animal Painter to HRH the Duchess of Kent, followed by several commissions from Queen Victoria, who remained a lifelong patron. Art historians today remember Herring Sr. as one of England’s greatest sporting and equestrian artists. Yet midway through his career, the famed painter began to incorporate the tag “SR” at the end of his signature to distinguish his work from the burgeoning talent of his teenage son.

Trained by his artist father, Herring Jr. also achieved great acclaim as a painter of country life. His equine art, including this particular painting, was considered by many his most accomplished subject; both father and son enjoyed a lifelong love of racehorses. Unlike his father, Herring Jr. was also celebrated for his soft color palette and loose brushstrokes. In this painting, the viewer may remark on the apparent softness of the horses’ tails and manes, or the overgrown yellow grass. The distant clouds are delicately brushed with white and blue, the strokes obviously gentle. Even the ducks’ feathered bodies, touched with bands of blue, communicate a certain storybook quality. The horses’ faces, though true to life, are somehow soft in expression, as if reminiscent of their own quiet memories. Herring Jr. was not only an animal painter but also deeply empathetic; this rare empathy distinguishes his work from his father’s and from that of other Victorian painters.

The work is presented in an ornate giltwood and gesso frame of the Victorian period, decorated with scrolling acanthus leaves, flower‑and‑fruit swags, and a ribbon‑and‑bead inner molding that echoes the refined detail of the painting itself. The wear to the frame is consistent with the age of the canvas, and the lower center bears an inscription with the artist’s name (“J. F. HERRING, JUNR”), suggesting that the frame is original or at least contemporary to the painting.

Highly valued by art collectors and animal lovers alike, this captivating artwork would make a wonderful addition to a home library, living room, or dining area.

With Frame: H=17.5 in. W=21.5 in. D=2.5 in. 5 lbs.
Canvas: H=12 in. W=16 in. See less