Four Equestrian Portraits

The Property of the Marquess of Anglesey from the Private Apartment at Plas Newydd

Follower of John Frederick Herring
A dark bay hunter in a landscape

oil on canvas
unframed: 56.2 x 76.4 cm.; 22⅛ x 30⅛ in.
framed: 69.9 x 90.1 cm.; 27½ x 35½ in.

Richard Barrett Davis
Hertfordshire 1782–1854 ?
A grey hunter in a landscape

signed and dated lower right: R B DAVIS / 1838
unframed: 57.6 x 76 cm.; 22⅝ x 29⅞ in.
framed: 71.2 x 90.4 cm.; 28 x 35⅝ in.

Attributed to James Barenger
London 1780–1831
A pair of paintings of dark bay hunters: one galloping alongside a dog, the other standing with a groom

oil on canvas
one unframed: 57.5 x 76 cm.; 22⅝ x 29⅞ in.
framed: 70.5 x 89.3 cm.; 27¾ x 35⅛ in.
the other unframed: 57.5 x 75.8 cm.; 22⅝ x 29⅞ in.
framed: 70.4 x 89.3 cm.; 27¾ x 35⅛ in.

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Condition Report:
Follower of John Frederick Herring

The canvas is unlined. The paint surface is relatively dirty, as is noticeable in the sky. The varnish is fairly clear but streaky and uneven in parts. A handful of small losses can be found along the left margin, towards both the upper left and lower left corners. A smattering of black imperfections are also visible along the top margin. A small group of retouchings are visible to the naked eye, primarily on the face of the outhouse on the right, to fill in craquelure. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals further retouching in the foliage above the horse’s back and in a vertical stripe to the left of the horse. This latter area measures approximately 18 x 0.5 cm. Overall, the painting is in good condition. It would benefit from a clean.

Richard Barrett Davis

The canvas is unlined. The paint surface is relatively clean and the varnish is clear and even. Upon close inspection, areas of the sky have become slightly pressed, primarily in the clouds in the upper corners. One or two tiny paint losses can be noted in the lower left corner, perhaps caused by frame abrasion. A few spots of retouching are visible to the naked eye, primarily in the lower left and right corners on the grass and in the tree on the left. Inspection under ultraviolet light confirms these as retouchings and reveals almost no other instances of inpainting. Overall, the painting is in good condition. It presents well and is ready to hang.

Attributed to James Barenger

Both canvases are unlined. The paint surfaces are dirty and the varnishes have become slightly cloudy and uneven. No losses to the paint surface are visible on either canvas. In the picture of the galloping horse, a few small retouchings are visible to the naked eye in the background, though these have been executed fairly sensitively. In the other picture, no retouchings are very apparent, though a drop of liquid, or perhaps an imperfection in the varnish, is noticable behind the horse’s tail. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals that both pictures have thick and milky varnishes, perhaps impeding inspection of older campaigns of restoration. In the galloping horse painting, a couple of spots of retouching fluoresce over the horse’s hind legs, while in the other painting, a couple can be found on the ground and in front of the figure of the groom. These are all small though, measuring at most approximately 1 x 1 cm. Overall, both paintings are in fairly good condition. They would benefit from a clean.