John Frederick Herring, Sr. (English, 1795-1865) Foigh-a-Ballagh

Lot 144

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Copley Fine Art Auctions is the world's leading American sporting art auction company. Located in Hingham, MA, Copley specializes in antique decoys and 19th- and 20th-century American, sporting, and wildlife paintings. Principal Stephen O'Brien Jr., a fourth-generation sportsman with a refined colle...Read more

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Lot Description

John Frederick Herring, Sr. (English, 1795-1865)
Foigh-a-Ballagh,1844
signed "J.F. Herring Sen'." lower right
oil on canvas, 15 by 20 in.
inscribed "Foigh-a-Ballagh. 1844" center right
"Mr. Irwin's brown colt 'Faugh-a-Ballagh' by Sir Hercules out of Guiccioli, in a stable" on Richard Green, London label on back

John Frederick Herring, Sr. was an eminent animal painter of the Victorian era, along with Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873). Herring was particularly known for his depictions of racehorses and sporting scenes. The artist was born in London, but at the age of eighteen moved north to Doncaster in 1814, where he primarily painted signs and logos for inns and coaches. It is thought he studied with Abraham Cooper (1787-1868), a prominent animal painter of the day, in London in the 1830s.

By 1845, the year after the present painting was completed, Herring received royal patronage. In 1846, Queen Victoria commissioned a birthday gift for Prince Albert depicting a favorite horse, Bagdad. Herring exhibited at the Royal Academy for most of his career, from 1818 until his death 1865. Today the artist’s paintings can be found in the Tate Gallery, London, the Royal Collection, London, and the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, among other prominent collections.

In 1844, the year this painting was created, the horse named Foigh-A-Ballagh won the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster. Dating to 1776, St. Leger is the oldest of Britain’s Classic races and is the final leg of the English Triple Crown. Herring’s depictions of the winners of St. Leger Stakes and other important races were widely distributed in print form during the Nineteenth Century.

Foigh-A-Ballagh, who was bred in Ireland, belonged to Sir E.J. Irwin. The horse’s name derives from an Irish battle cry meaning “Clear the way!”, and is also recorded as “Foig-A-Ballagh” and “Faugh-A-Ballagh.” The horse would go on to influence American thoroughbred stock.

Provenance: Turner Reuter Fine Art
Private Collection, Palm Beach, Florida

Condition

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