Artwork
Painting
Painting is a paint painting by the Impressionist artist Unknown. It dates from 1892 and is held in the collection of the Museum of English Rural Life, University of Reading.
About this work
Overview
The work is a formal portrait of a shorthorn bull named Count Lavender, positioned within a pastoral scene that includes fields and a distant farmhouse. Executed in oil on canvas, the painting bears the signature of James Clark of Islington and is dated 1892.
Subject & Meaning
Count Lavender, a celebrated livestock champion, is depicted with a dignified bearing, emphasizing his status as a prize-winning animal. The inclusion of the surrounding countryside underscores the agricultural context in which such animals were bred and exhibited.
Technique & Style
Clark employs a realistic approach, rendering the bull’s musculature and coat with careful attention to texture. The landscape background is rendered in softer tones, providing contrast that highlights the animal’s form while maintaining a balanced composition typical of late‑19th‑century rural portraiture.
History & Provenance
The bull was originally bred by William Duthie of Tarves and later acquired by J. Deane Willis of Bapton Manor, Codford Saint Mary. Count Lavender earned 36 first‑place and champion awards during his career. The painting forms part of a series of works dating from the late 18th century to around 1860, now held by the Museum of Ethnography.
Artist & collection
Museum
Museum of English Rural Life, University of Reading
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