Attributed to :John Bosanquet (fl. 1854-1869)   "A Prize Bu...

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€1,500 - €2,000

Attributed to :John Bosanquet (fl. 1854-1869)  

"A Prize Bull, c. 1830,"  O.O.C., in gilt frame, 71cms x 90cms (28" x 35 1/2"). (1) 

In a countryside setting, beneath a cloudy sky with trees in the background, a large brown bull stands alongside a farmer. Behind them is a high wall and a farm building with a thatched roof. Dressed in gaiters, waistcoat, cravat and jacket, the farmer stands proudly beside the animal, whose head is turned towards the observer. The farmer holds a cord attached to a ring in the bull’s nose. In comparison with other 19th century paintings of prize animals, this bull is depicted in a relatively realistic way. Often in such images, the physical characteristics of the animal are greatly exaggerated. Bulls are shown almost as rectangles, standing on four spindly legs. During the eighteenth century, selective breeding resulted in ever-larger farm animals, such as pigs, cattle and sheep. In 1802, the “Durham Ox”, a gigantic bull weighing almost three thousand pounds, toured English towns and cities, to popular acclaim. The Ox was immortalized in paintings, and prints, which sold widely. Throughout Britain, images of prodigious farm animals were popular, underpinning the ethos of a country that was, in contrast with its European neighbours, capable of feeding its people well. One bull, depicted in a print, was even named “Patriot”. Often, these prize animals were depicted alongside their owners; farmers and aristocratic landowners keen to publicise their success in breeding livestock. Among the noted English animal painters of the nineteenth century were John Vine (1808–1867), Henry Stafford (1830-1873), William Henry Davis (1786–1865) and James Clark Senior (1860–1902). The artist of this unsigned work is not known, nor the identity of the owner or bull. As most paintings of livestock are in oils, this example in watercolour is relatively rare, and, given its provenance, there is a possibility that it may be an even rarer example of an animal painting by an Irish artist. If so, on the basis of its style, this watercolour can be attributed to John Bosanquet, a Cork painter who specialised in landscapes, seascapes and local subject matter.

Dr. Peter Murray, 2024