Details
JOHN E. FERNELEY SENIOR (THRUSSINGTON 1782-1860 MELTON MOWBRAY)
Henry Combe Compton (1789-1855) leading a bay hunter, with hounds
signed and dated 'J.Ferneley / Pinxt .1813' (lower right)
oil on canvas
3378 x 4178 in. (86 x 106.4 cm.)
Provenance
Commissioned in 1813 as a pair with lot 19 by Henry Combe Compton (1789-1866), Minstead Manor, Hampshire, and by descent to,
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Green; Sotheby's, London, 4 July 2013, lot 257.
Literature
Major G. Paget, The Melton Mowbray of John Ferneley 1782-1860, Leicester, 1931, p. 127, no. 28, as 'Mr Compton. April, 1814. Two Pictures with Portraits of Horses, Hounds, etc'.
R. Fountain, John Ferneley (1782-1860) Catalogue of Paintings, published online, 2014, p. 81, no. P13.000.002, as 'Groom holding a saddled Brown Horse with 3 1/2 couple'.
FURTHER DETAILS
Please note this is a pair to lot 19.
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Lot Essay

John E. Ferneley was among the most celebrated equine artists of his time, renowned for his ability to capture the rituals of English sporting pursuits. The figure depicted here and in lot 19 is Henry Combe Compton, son of John Compton (1750-1803) of Minstead Manor, Lyndhurst and his wife Catherine, née Richards (1770-1805). The contrasting poses - mounted in one, leading the horse in the other - subtly articulate the authority, stewardship and stability required of his public life. In 1819, Compton served as High Sheriff of Hampshire, just as his father had in 1797, before devoting more than two decades as Member of Parliament for South Hampshire (1835-1857).

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