Lot 93
- 93
John Ferneley Sr.
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- John Ferneley Sr.
- Lord Henry Bentinck's Chestnut Hunter Firebird and Policy, a foxhound, in a loose box
- inscribed Policy (lower left), inscribed Firebird (lower center), and signed Ferneley, inscribed Melton Mowbray, and dated 1845 (lower right)
- oil on canvas
- 44 3/4 by 61 1/2 in.
- 114 by 156 cm
Provenance
Lord Henry Bentinck (1804-1870) (by commission from the artist)
William Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland (acquired by descent from the above)
Private Collection, Europe
William Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland (acquired by descent from the above)
Private Collection, Europe
Literature
Major Guy Paget, The Melton Mowbray of John Ferneley/The Account Books of John Ferneley, Leicester, 1931, p. 150, no. 560
Condition
Lined. Under UV: Varnish fluoresces. Scattered spots and lines of inpainting in background, primarily in upper left and in area around saddles in lower left, and underneath horse, including a 1.5 inch diagonal line visible to naked eye. Isolated spot and dots of inpainting to horse, as well as strokes in its rear and tail.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
One of the most accomplished sporting artists of his day, John Ferneley Sr. was patronized by some of his most fashionable contemporaries, including Beau Brummel and the Count d’Orsay.
Lord Henry Bentinck (1804-1870), regarded as one of the most expert hound men of all time, was master of the Rufford in his native Nottinghamshire from 1834 to 1836 and of Burton in Lincolnshire from 1842 to 1862. During this time, he assembled a pack that Roger Longrigg describes as “the best working pack in England, full of drive, very self-reliant, enormously influential” (The History of Foxhunting, London, 1975, p. 94).
Lord Henry Bentinck (1804-1870), regarded as one of the most expert hound men of all time, was master of the Rufford in his native Nottinghamshire from 1834 to 1836 and of Burton in Lincolnshire from 1842 to 1862. During this time, he assembled a pack that Roger Longrigg describes as “the best working pack in England, full of drive, very self-reliant, enormously influential” (The History of Foxhunting, London, 1975, p. 94).
The Burton Hunt was long-established, and Lord Henry Bentinck hunted with the Burton six days a week, on many occasions riding over from the ducal estate at Welbeck, a round trip of about seventy miles. His treatise Foxhounds and their Handling in the Field (repr., ed. Viscount Chaplin, 1922) detailed his philosophy: to let hounds alone, leaving t🉐hem to work out the fox’s line for themselves, rather than the huntsman "casting" hounds on to the line of the fox.