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Lot Essay
James Ward is famous for his bravura paintings of animals. On an unusually large panel, and in a particularly fine state of preservation, this picture is an exceptional example of the artist's work. Believed to have been commissioned by an ancestor of the present owner, the bold handling of the sweeping landscape shows how the artist was influenced by Rubens, providing a dramatically elevating setting for his anthropomorphic presentation of the animals. He has captured a sense of emotional purpose in the canvas that epitomises the Romantic movement.
Ward initially trained as an engraver under his brother William Ward (1766-1826), and by the end of the eighteenth century was in great demand as a mezzotinter, translating works into print by the likes of Beechey, Hoppner and Lawrence. It was around this time that he started experimenting in oils, perhaps influenced by his brother-in-law, the successful artist George Morland (1763-1804). By 1803, he had begun to paint on an ambitious scale, executing his famous Bulls Fighting, with a view of St. Donat's Castle in the background (Victoria & Albert Museum, London), in emulation of Rubens' Autumn Landscape with a view of Het Steen (National Gallery, London). Ward continued to paint prolifically, honing his skills in oil, until his election as an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1807. During this time, he was fast becoming the foremost animal painter of his generation, painting portraits of thoroughbreds and blood horses. In 1811, a year before he painted the present work, Ward was elected a full member of the Royal Academy, and named 'the first of English animal painters now living' (Sporting Magazine, 1811, p.265).
In 1815 following the Duke of Wellington's victory at Waterloo and final defeat of Napoleon, Ward was commissioned by the British Institution to paint his Waterloo Allegory (now lost), a huge composition at 6.4 x 10.7 metres, completed in 1821. During this period the artist suffered the loss of his wife and a daughter, yet continued to paint successfully, one such composition being The Deer-stealer, c.1823, (Tate Britain, London). By 1830 he had retired to Cheshunt in Hertfordshire with his second wife, though was still exhibiting regularly at the Royal Academy and British Institution. It was not until he suffered a stroke in 1855 that Ward ended his prolific artistic career.
Ward initially trained as an engraver under his brother William Ward (1766-1826), and by the end of the eighteenth century was in great demand as a mezzotinter, translating works into print by the likes of Beechey, Hoppner and Lawrence. It was around this time that he started experimenting in oils, perhaps influenced by his brother-in-law, the successful artist George Morland (1763-1804). By 1803, he had begun to paint on an ambitious scale, executing his famous Bulls Fighting, with a view of St. Donat's Castle in the background (Victoria & Albert Museum, London), in emulation of Rubens' Autumn Landscape with a view of Het Steen (National Gallery, London). Ward continued to paint prolifically, honing his skills in oil, until his election as an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1807. During this time, he was fast becoming the foremost animal painter of his generation, painting portraits of thoroughbreds and blood horses. In 1811, a year before he painted the present work, Ward was elected a full member of the Royal Academy, and named 'the first of English animal painters now living' (Sporting Magazine, 1811, p.265).
In 1815 following the Duke of Wellington's victory at Waterloo and final defeat of Napoleon, Ward was commissioned by the British Institution to paint his Waterloo Allegory (now lost), a huge composition at 6.4 x 10.7 metres, completed in 1821. During this period the artist suffered the loss of his wife and a daughter, yet continued to paint successfully, one such composition being The Deer-stealer, c.1823, (Tate Britain, London). By 1830 he had retired to Cheshunt in Hertfordshire with his second wife, though was still exhibiting regularly at the Royal Academy and British Institution. It was not until he suffered a stroke in 1855 that Ward ended his prolific artistic career.