Breaking Cover

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

Born in Surrey, John Frederick Herring senior was the son of an upholsterer and fringe-maker for coaches. He was initially employed as a coach painter, which led him to become a coach driver, but he also had a successful career painting St Leger and Derby horserace winners. In about 1830 he moved to London and, aged 38, received his first formal art training under Abraham Cooper. He later received several royal commissions, becoming Animal Painter to HRH the Duchess of Kent in 1846. Despite this, his move to London was not financially successful until he gained the patronage of William Taylor Copeland, head of the Spode Porcelain factory in Stoke-on-Trent. Herring produced several paintings for him, including designs for Spode china.
John Harris III was an aquatint engraver of sporting and military subjects after works by contemporary artists. He was born in London and may have been the son of the watercolourist, illustrator and lithographer known as John Harris II. However, it has also been suggested that he was the son of a cabinet maker. Harris remained in London for the duration of his life and worked mainly for the publisher Ackermann and Fores.

Places

Subjects

horseback, fox hunting, landscape C19th, Victorian Genre, tree, dog, horse, stream, field, road, fence, windmill

Materials & Techniques

aquatint, coloured aquatint

Artist

John Frederick, Snr Herring (1795 - 1865)
John, III Harris (1811 - 1865)

Title

Breaking Cover

Date

published 7 April 1864

Medium

Coloured aquatint

Acquisition

Purchased from Vicars Bros., November 1955

GAC number

3353