{"product_id":"victorian-shorthorn-bull-oil-painting-british-school-circa-1890","title":"Victorian Oil Painting Prized Shorthorn Bull – British School In The Manner of William Ward","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLate Victorian Prized Shorthorn Bull Oil Painting British School c.1890\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn extensively researched late-Victorian British livestock portrait, in the manner of William Ward, with Bourgeois Aîné, Paris F8 support, documented Golding Young \u0026amp; Mawer provenance, professional conservation and private museum loan and exhibition history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHighlights\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBritish School, in the manner of William Ward\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLate Victorian, circa 1890\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOil on canvas\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrized brown-and-white Shorthorn bull\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBritish provincial and naïve livestock-painting tradition\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBourgeois Aîné, Paris registered trade mark verso\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrench F8 standard-format support marked 46 × 38 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGolding Young \u0026amp; Mawer, Lincoln Fine Art Sale, 5 February 2025, Lot 119\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProfessionally conserved following assessment by Vanessa Andrew M.A.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrivately loaned and exhibited with the Famous Lord Hill Museum, Shropshire\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLater decorative gilt frame\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFramed approximately 45 × 52 × 3 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReady to hang\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA wonderfully characterful late-Victorian oil painting depicting a substantial brown-and-white Shorthorn bull standing proudly in full profile within an open pastoral landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDating to approximately \u003cstrong\u003e1890\u003c\/strong\u003e, the work belongs to the distinctive British tradition of livestock portraiture in which important cattle, horses, sheep and other animals were recorded for breeders, agriculturalists, landowners and country estates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bull dominates the composition. Its substantial body is painted in warm russet, chestnut, cream and white tones against green pasture and a softly atmospheric blue-grey sky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA mature tree rises at the left, providing compositional balance and framing the animal beautifully.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painter concentrates attention upon the Shorthorn's colouring, conformation and physical presence while treating the surrounding countryside more broadly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result combines agricultural realism with the distinctive directness and individuality associated with British provincial and naïve livestock painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Prized Shorthorn\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Shorthorn occupies an important position within British agricultural history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeveloped principally in north-east England during the late 18th and 19th centuries, the breed became closely associated with the improvement of British livestock and subsequently achieved international importance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBreeders and estate owners commissioned portraits of particularly important animals to commemorate prize winners, valuable breeding stock and significant bloodlines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese paintings could simultaneously function as portraits, agricultural records and visual expressions of ownership and achievement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present bull is shown in full lateral profile, allowing its coat pattern, substantial body, head, horns and conformation to be clearly appreciated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBritish Livestock Portraiture\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLivestock portraiture developed into a distinctive field within British art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImportant cattle, horses and sheep could be recorded for breeders, estate owners and agricultural patrons, often with the animal presented in clear profile so that its individual characteristics could be appreciated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuch paintings now occupy an interesting position between fine art, agricultural documentation and British folk or naïve painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present work fits naturally within this tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts appeal lies partly in the balance between observation and stylisation. The artist has clearly sought to record an individual animal while simultaneously giving the bull the monumental presence characteristic of prize-livestock imagery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn the Manner of William Ward\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting is unsigned and is catalogued as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBritish School, in the manner of William Ward.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis wording is deliberately qualified.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting is not represented as a signed or authenticated work by William Ward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather, the description acknowledges its relationship with the broader British tradition of formal livestock imagery historically associated with Ward's name and with the circulation of celebrated animal subjects through paintings and reproductive works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the painting appeared at Golding Young \u0026amp; Mawer in February 2025, the auction house catalogued it more broadly as \u003cstrong\u003e19th Century British School\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present attribution retains that British School foundation while using the carefully qualified phrase \u003cstrong\u003ein the manner of William Ward\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn Important Discovery on the Reverse\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse provides a particularly interesting additional layer of evidence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe historic stretcher retains a distinctive horizontal lozenge-shaped registered trade mark incorporating a prominent serif letter \u003cstrong\u003eB\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed research identifies the mark with very high confidence as associated with \u003cstrong\u003eBourgeois Aîné, Paris\u003c\/strong\u003e, an important French manufacturer and supplier of professional artists' materials.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surviving trade mark provides useful physical evidence concerning the commercially manufactured support upon which the unidentified painter worked.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt does not identify the artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBourgeois Aîné, Paris\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe relevant Bourgeois trade mark was registered by François Alexandre Joseph Bourgeois in \u003cstrong\u003e1867\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eComparable Bourgeois marks are documented on historic artists' supports, making the surviving device an important element of the painting's material history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCommercially prepared canvases and standardised stretchers became increasingly important within the professional artists' materials trade during the 19th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe identification therefore provides an independently researchable connection between this painting and the sophisticated Parisian artists' materials industry of the period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe French F8 46 × 38 cm Support\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlongside the Bourgeois Aîné trade mark, the stretcher is clearly marked:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e46 × 38\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese measurements correspond to the traditional French \u003cstrong\u003eF8, or Figure No. 8\u003c\/strong\u003e, standard canvas format.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf particular significance, an \u003cstrong\u003e1888 Bourgeois Aîné standard-format list records F8 as 46 × 38 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting therefore combines a Bourgeois Aîné registered trade mark, F8 dimensions, commercially prepared fine-weave canvas and a keyed wooden stretcher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTogether these characteristics provide coherent material evidence compatible with later 19th-century manufacture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe support evidence is consistent with the proposed circa 1890 dating, although it does not independently establish an exact year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA British Painting on a French Support\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe French support is an intriguing feature of an otherwise characteristically British livestock painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt should not, however, be interpreted as proof that the picture was painted in France or by a French artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the later 19th century, professionally prepared artists' materials circulated through increasingly international markets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Bourgeois Aîné evidence therefore tells us about the painting's material history without requiring any alteration to its British School attribution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGolding Young \u0026amp; Mawer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting has documented auction provenance with \u003cstrong\u003eGolding Young \u0026amp; Mawer\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt appeared in the firm's \u003cstrong\u003eLincoln Fine Art Sale on 5 February 2025 as Lot 119\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe auction house catalogued it as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“19thC British School. Short horn bull in landscape, oil on canvas.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis provides an important dated documentary point in the painting's modern history and independently records both its British School classification and the identification of the subject as a Shorthorn bull.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting was subsequently acquired from the sale by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrivate Loan and Exhibition History\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting was subsequently \u003cstrong\u003eprivately loaned and exhibited with the Famous Lord Hill Museum, Shropshire\u003c\/strong\u003e, within a display relating to British rural and agricultural heritage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting remained privately owned throughout the loan and exhibition period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis association is therefore recorded as \u003cstrong\u003eprivate loan and exhibition history\u003c\/strong\u003e, rather than museum ownership provenance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProfessional Conservation\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting has undergone professional conservation following assessment by \u003cstrong\u003eVanessa Andrew M.A., Fine Art Conservator\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHer November 2025 report records the work as an oil painting by an unknown artist on commercially prepared fine-weave canvas supported upon a five-member wooden stretcher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore treatment, areas of lifting and flaking paint, historic losses and previous retouching, surface dirt, fibres and other marks were recorded.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProfessional conservation addressed the stability and presentation of the work through consolidation, careful surface cleaning, appropriate treatment of previous overpaint, filling and retouching of losses and protective varnishing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting now presents coherently while retaining historic craquelure, texture and other age-related characteristics appropriate to a genuine late-Victorian oil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrivate collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGolding Young \u0026amp; Mawer, \u003cem\u003eLincoln Fine Art Sale\u003c\/em\u003e, 5 February 2025, Lot 119, catalogued as \u003cstrong\u003e“19thC British School. Short horn bull in landscape, oil on canvas.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcquired from the above sale by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThereafter Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrivate Loan and Exhibition History\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrivately loaned and exhibited with the \u003cstrong\u003eFamous Lord Hill Museum, Shropshire\u003c\/strong\u003e, within a display relating to British rural and agricultural heritage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting remained privately owned throughout the loan and exhibition period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFramed:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeight approximately 45 cm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWidth approximately 52 cm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDepth approximately 3 cm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCanvas\/support:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApproximately 46 × 38 cm, corresponding to French F8 format.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrame\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePresented in a later decorative gilt frame with moulded ornament and a traditional country-house appearance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe gilding displays areas of age-related rubbing, small chips, marks and minor losses to raised decorative elements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe frame remains structurally sound, complements the painting effectively and is fitted for hanging.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProfessionally conserved and presenting well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistoric craquelure, age-related surface texture, areas of professional retouching and minor imperfections remain visible upon close inspection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe later gilt frame displays rubbing, small chips, marks and minor decorative losses consistent with age and use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease study all photographs carefully as they form an integral part of the condition description.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy This Painting Is Particularly Interesting\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis painting combines several areas of collecting interest within a single work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is an attractive late-Victorian animal portrait, an historic representation of one of Britain's important cattle breeds, an example of British provincial livestock painting and an object retaining identifiable evidence of the international 19th-century artists' materials trade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts documented Golding Young \u0026amp; Mawer auction appearance, professional conservation and private loan and exhibition with the Famous Lord Hill Museum add further chapters to its modern history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn engaging acquisition for collectors of British animal painting, agricultural history, Shorthorn cattle, Victorian folk and naïve painting and traditional country-house art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorldwide shipping is available.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting will be professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials and dispatched fully insured.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInternational buyers are welcome. Please contact us for a destination-specific delivery quotation or to discuss any particular shipping requirements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAttribution and Research\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpecialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditional photographs and further information are available upon request.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55100738011514,"sku":"CAK-SK-0338","price":4950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0201\/2227\/1808\/files\/PrizedShorthornBullintheMannerofWilliamWard_74dad263-44f3-4cfc-9a2b-a5ddb82e6442.jpg?v=1764243212","url":"https:\/\/cheshireantiquesconsultantltd.com\/da\/products\/victorian-shorthorn-bull-oil-painting-british-school-circa-1890","provider":"Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD","version":"1.0","type":"link"}