The Squire with the Quorn (George Osbaldeston on 'Assheton', Francis Holyoake on 'Crossbow' and Sir Harry Goodricke on 'Doctor Russell' taking a fence below Tilton)

This lively composition shows three icons of the Melton Mowbray sporting world, and some of Ferneley’s most important patrons; Harry Goodricke, George “Squire” Osbaldeston and Francis Holyoake. All three men were well-known for their passion for hunting and all served as Masters of the Quorn Hunt, one of the oldest fox hunting packs in England.

The arrangement of the figures was clearly deemed successful, as Ferneley incorporated Osbaldeston, Goodricke and Holyoake in these poses into other compositions; the three men jumping were included in a more expansive landscape on a small scale (sold Christie’s, London, 26 January 2006, lot 265); and Osbaldeston and Holyoake were depicted in a painting of similar format (dated 1830 and 1844; Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria).