Dimensions
28.00inch wide
(71.12 cm wide)
External Dimensions
32.00inch framed height
( 81.28 cm framed height)
Description
Oil on canvas, in what seems to be the original frame.
Painted at the time of the Napoleonic Wars, the King is shown in a martial pose, mounted on his favourite charger Adonis.
The wild scenery, stormy skies and strong wind blowing the horse's mane and tail add a sense of drama and are appropriate for the troubled and dangerous times.
GEORGE III (1738 - 1820) came to the throne in 1760; unlike his father and grandfather George had been born and educated in England. He was thoroughly English and was the first sovereign since Queen Anne to speak his subjects' language without a foreign accent.
He was loved and respected by his people - in many ways 'Farmer George' was a good man and a good king; alas, today he is remembered chiefly for the loss of the American colonies and for the recurrent bouts of insanity in his later years.
JAMES WARD R.A. (1769 - 1859) was the most important animal painter of his generation. many of his dynamic compositions depict animals in agitated emotional states, the sense of movement reinforced by vigorous brushwork and strong colours. With their sweeping landscapes and dramatic skies, his canvases epitomize Romanticism.
Not content to excel merely as an animal painter, Ward also produced portraits, landscapes and history paintings. A prolific artist, he was a frequent exhibitor at the British Institution and the Royal Academy.
He was devoted to the art of Rubens and Van Dyke and emulated them more than any of his contempories.
In 1794 he was appointed Painter and Engraver to the Prince of Wales. In 1802, he was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Academy, becoming a full Member four years later.
SIZE: 32 x 28 inches inc. frame.
The frame has been painted over the original gilding and there are some small areas of damage; it is also slightly warped.
Verso: an erroneous inscription on the stretcher 'Sir J. Reynolds', also, on the bottom left of the canvas, the false monogram and date 'JR 1777'.
PROVENANCE: A Suffolk Collection.
Provenance
see description
Status
Sold
