Paintings of The Sporting Life - February 8 - March, 15, 2014
The William Secord Gallery is pleased to present "John Emms; Paintings of the Sporting Life," the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of this artist's work. Timed to coincide with the 138th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, this exhibition and sale includes over 50 paintings dating from 1865 to 1906. Emms was renowned for his paintings of Foxhounds, terriers, spaniels and other sporting breeds. Also included are examples of his purebred dog portraits, commissioned by dog fanciers to immortalize their famous champions of the show bench.
Born the son of an artist near Blofield, England, the young Emms soon moved to London where he apprenticed with Lord Frederick Leighton, the great academic painter. Emms soon went on his own, however, painting images that even today conjure up the romance and beauty of English country life. Emms maintained studios in both London and Lyndhurst, in the New Forest area of England, a center for foxhunting and country sports. In a time when Victorian painting was detailed and highly finished, Emms' paintings were characterized by a bold painterly style. He quickly became known for his ability to capture the essence of a subject with seemingly effortless applications of paint. He soon gained a following among the sporting gentry of the day.
This exhibition includes portraits of Foxhounds at rest and in the field. Also included are several paintings of Clumber Spaniels, a breed which was developed at Clumber Park by the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle, horses, and Jack Russell Terriers, among many others. There are also several portraits of purebred dogs: the Princess de Montglyon's Champion Collies, G. A. Latham's Dandie Dinmont Terriers and Col. C. S. Dean's Ch. Benham Busybody, perhaps the best known of all Manchester Terriers.
The paintings in this exhibition are all available for purchase and all subject to prior sale.
Please click on the following link to view the entire exhibition: