George Armfield Smith Painting of Dogs and Horse

Fine Art : Paintings

 

A wonderful 19th century British oil on canvas by George Armfield Smith, the illustrious 19th century English painter specializing in paintings of dogs and horses. The painting is believed to be one of Mr. Armfield’s earlier pieces when he signed his given last name Smith instead of the shortened version for which he was later known. The painting shows a saddled horse standing with the hunting hounds and their catch of the day.

George Armfield Smith (1808-1893) is considered one of England’s finest animal artists. His ability to portray animals realistically, in a charming setting, created great demand for his work. Armfield came from a family of artists, his father being a portrait painter. Showing talent early on, he had devoted himself to painting by the age of sixteen. He found well heeled patron’s for his work immediately. George Armfield Smith exhibited under his surname Smith at the Royal Academy during the 1830’s. In 1840 he dropped Smith from his name and from then on used the abbreviated version of George Armfield. He was quite a character being an avid sportsman and lover of animals. He was an accomplished rider and had a passion for fox hunting; he also kept a small zoo at his house. Perhaps this explains the remarkable insight and understanding of animals found throughout his prolific body of work. Mr. Armfield’s output was large and he was most successful from 1830 – 1870. Eventually his eyesight began to fail. This was the beginning of a downward spiral for the artist although he continued to paint with the aid of a magnifying glass. He died in Clapham in 1893.

The painting is mounted in a lovely frame with a distressed finish; signed in the lower left hand corner; in very good condition with minor paint flakes and relined canvas; size of frame 17” H x 21” W; size of visible art 12 _” H x 16 _” W.

Item ID: PS03-10-06-03