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Works by Thomas Woodward (1801-1852) from a private collection (lot 64 - 76) This rare group of pictures by Woodward, together with the Hunters and grooms by covertside to be offered in the Important British Art sale on 13 June (see fig. 1), are from a single private collection, the core of which descended from Woodward himself, passing to a godson of the artist's unmarried great-niece. For the fortunate beneficiary this sparked a life-time interest in the artist, resulting in the subsequent addition of other works to the collection, and extensive research into Woodward's life and oeuvre. A loan exhibition at Spink in London in 1972 gathered together some interesting paintings and brought more to light, yet because significant examples of Woodward's work so rarely appear on the market, in recent years he has tended to capture the attention of collectors only rarely. The sale of two major pictures at Christie's in 1989 brought overdue recognition, with one, The Puckeridge Foxhounds (see fig.2), selling for £209,000. Best known as a sporting painter, Woodward was a versatile artist whose subjects included portraits, battle scenes, landscapes, genre, country scenes and animal studies. He was born in Pershore, Worcestershire, and at the age of eight his artistic talent is said to have caught the eye of Benjamin West, President of the Royal Academy, 'who spoke in high terms of the promise held out in his juvenile efforts'. Having studied for a year under Abraham Cooper, he first exhibited in 1821 at the Royal Academy, whose walls were to be hung with a total of eighty-five of his works over the next thirty years. Surveying different examples of Woodward's work, it is possible to discern the influence of several of the leading early 19th Century British sporting artists. Certainly the touch of Herring is there and, in others, Basil Taylor sensed 'the spirit of Morland or Ward'. Woodward is believed to have been a close friend of Sir Edwin Landseer and - even if that master's supposed remark that he 'wished he could paint a horse like Woodward' is anecdotal - there are clear affinities between the two artists' understanding and portrayal of their subjects. In his lifetime, purchasers of Woodward's work included Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the Dukes of Newcastle and Montrose, Sir Robert Peel and the great collector William Wells of Redleaf. Institutions which hold examples of this work include Tate Britain and the Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven.

Thomas Woodward (1801-1852)

A saddled grey hunter, with a dog on a stone step, and a robin

Details

Thomas Woodward (1801-1852)
A saddled grey hunter, with a dog on a stone step, and a robin
signed with initials and dated 'TW 1850' (lower right)
oil on canvas
27¾ x 36¼ in. (70.4 x 92 cm.)

Provenance

Purchased from Richard Green, London.

Literature

C.W. Graham-Stewart, Thomas Woodward, published privately, 1989, pp. 7 and 132.

Exhibited

Pershore, A Loan Exhibition of the Works of Thomas Woodward, 13-27 September 1972, no. 20.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

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