(1782 - 1860)
John Ferneley senior was born in Thrussington, Leicestershire; the son of a wheelwright and wagon builder. He worked for his father until, aged 20, his naïve paintings were noticed by the Duke of Rutland. He then began an apprenticeship with sporting artist Ben Marshall in London and received commissions from officers of the Leicestershire yeomanry under the Duke’s command. Fox-hunter Thomas Assheton Smith and Irish noblemen Lord Lismore and George O’Callaghan became important patrons. Ferneley settled in Melton Mowbray in 1813, later building Elgin Lodge. He is best-known for hunting portraits and panoramic views of hunters galloping. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, British Institution and Society of British Artists. He died aged 78.
