- 25
John Frederick Herring Snr.
Description
- John Frederick Herring Snr.
- Gone Away
- signed J.F. Herring and dated 1838 (lower right)
- oil on canvas
- 41 by 59 1/2 in.
- 104.1 by 151.1 cm
Provenance
Condition
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Catalogue Note
Hunting subjects are rare in John Frederick Herring Snr.'s oeuvre and the majority of those known today are in a smaller format, making Gone Away a unique and impressive example of Herring Snr.'s skill for transcribing this spirited and venerable sport. The ambitious scale immediately invites the viewer into the narrative and Herring Snr.'s decision to relegate the action to the left half of the picture plane imparts a sense of movement and anticipation. The viewer is at once engaged, visually navigating the land in search of the fox, who, as the title implies, has made a timely escape. By devoting much of the compositional space to the gently rolling hills and open sky, the artist celebrate🥂s the English countryside, with the huntsmen, hunters and hounds the liv꧒ely supporting cast in this homage to the long-standing tradition of the hunt.
Gone Away was never exhibited during the artist's lifetime and was probably commissioned by the rider – possibly a Master of the hunt – shown on the bay immediately behind the huntsman on his grey to the left of the canvas. The hunt most likely depicted is the Old Surrey which at this period was the most popular pack outside of London. Herring Snr. had painted a portrait of its Master, Daniel Haig, in 1834. The only other recorded painting of comparable size to the present work is Meet of the East Suffolk Hounds at the Chippenham Park of 1832 (Private Collection), thereby underscoring the rarity and monumentality of Gone Away.
We would like to thank David Fuller for 𒅌hi✱s help in cataloguing this work.