The oil canvas laid on wooden panel portrait study of a large red poll bull or ox, with a woolly coat and long horns, shown in profile against a soft blue grey ground, the whole being unsigned, in a good quality later mid-20thc gilt moulded frame and surviving from the nineteenth century in very good order.
Unknown.
Verso we can a label for H. & R. Dahne Picture Framers / 2 Richmond Terrace, CLIFTON / BRISTOL BS8 1AB. who were a German couple, Heinz Dahne was a former prisoner of war and his shop closed in the 1970s. This picture was probably re-framed in around 1950.
The counties of Suffolk and Norfolk in England are the original homes of the Red Poll. These counties, which lie in a low rather marshy part of England, border the North Sea and have soil that is generally lacking in fertility. No one knows when the first cattle were introduced into Suffolk, but it was thought that cattle were brought to that area by the Romans.
The execution of this painting has some similarities to the work of Paulus Potter (1625 – 1654) who was a Dutch painter who specialised in animals within landscapes, usually with a low vantage point. Potter created portraits of animals, making them his picture’s focus, not just a backdrop for human action.
A beautifully executed portrait study of a beautiful animal, and in a style very much in demand.
The condition of the painting very good with some light bubbling to the canvas which is stretched over a panel. There are no losses or signs of restoration or over-painting.
By appointment only.
