Victorian King Charles Spaniels in a Wooded Landscape Oil Painting Circa 1880
Victorian King Charles Spaniels in a Wooded Landscape Oil Painting Circa 1880
Fine British Late 19th Century Oil Painting of a Blenheim and Prince Charles Tricolour King Charles Spaniel, In the Manner of John Dalby of York
Highlights
• Fine British late 19th-century Victorian oil painting
• In the manner of John Dalby of York (1810–1865)
• Circa 1880
• Depicts two historic King Charles Spaniels seated together
• Blenheim chestnut-and-white spaniel to the left
• Prince Charles or tricolour spaniel to the right
• Both dogs shown principally in profile looking towards the right
• Set within an atmospheric wooded rural landscape
• British School
• Oil on panel
• Apparently unsigned, with possible indistinct inscription or painted markings to the lower foreground
• Decorative gilt wood and composition frame
• Raised laurel-leaf and berry-style ornament
• Amersham Auction Rooms provenance
• Auction label retained verso recording Lot 218, 6 June 2024
• Framed approximately 31 cm high x 34 cm wide x 4 cm deep
• Supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution
Introduction
A charming and highly decorative late 19th-century British oil painting depicting two King Charles Spaniels seated together within an atmospheric wooded landscape.
Dating to circa 1880 and catalogued as in the manner of John Dalby of York (1810–1865), the work belongs to the established British tradition of animal portraiture in which sporting dogs and cherished companion animals were accorded considerable individuality and presence.
The composition is particularly appealing for its depiction of two historically distinct King Charles Spaniel colour varieties.
To the left sits a chestnut-and-white Blenheim Spaniel, while its companion displays the black, white and tan colouring historically associated with the Prince Charles, or tricolour, variety.
Both dogs sit attentively in profile looking towards the right. Their contrasting coats provide the principal visual focus against the subdued greens, ochres and earthy tones of the surrounding countryside.
Presented within an ornate gilt frame, the painting combines Victorian canine portraiture, British country-house character and an especially appealing historic breed subject.
Two King Charles Spaniels in a Wooded Landscape
No evidence has presently been identified establishing an original artist-given title for the work.
Two King Charles Spaniels in a Wooded Landscape is therefore used as a descriptive catalogue title based upon the visible subject and setting.
The title reflects the established vocabulary of 19th-century British animal painting, in which dogs and horses were frequently portrayed against wooded, parkland and extensive landscape backgrounds.
Of particular comparative interest is a recorded signed work by John Dalby entitled King Charles Spaniels Seated in a Wooded Landscape.
The close correspondence in subject matter provides useful contextual evidence when considering the artistic tradition represented by the present work, although this painting is not represented as Dalby's recorded composition and no authorship by Dalby is asserted.
Composition
The composition centres upon the two spaniels positioned prominently across the foreground.
Both dogs are seated and represented principally in profile, directing their attention towards the right of the picture.
The lighter Blenheim occupies the left side. Its predominantly white coat is enlivened by rich chestnut passages across the head, ears and body.
Beside it sits the darker tricolour spaniel, whose black coat, white areas and warm tan markings create a strong visual counterpoint.
Their shared direction of gaze introduces a subtle narrative quality, suggesting that something beyond the painted scene has attracted the attention of both animals.
Behind them, the countryside recedes through areas of open ground towards mature trees and a softly atmospheric horizon.
The landscape remains deliberately restrained, allowing the dogs to dominate the composition.
The Blenheim Spaniel
The left-hand dog displays the characteristic chestnut-and-white colouring historically associated with the Blenheim Spaniel.
The Blenheim name derives from the longstanding association of red-and-white toy spaniels with Blenheim Palace and the Dukes of Marlborough.
By the Victorian period, Blenheim was firmly established as one of the recognised colour varieties within Britain's toy-spaniel tradition.
The present dog has a predominantly pale coat enriched by warm chestnut colouring across its head, ears and body.
Its long feathered ears and silky coat contribute significantly to the visual appeal of the portrait.
The historic association of the Blenheim variety with British aristocratic and country-house culture adds an additional dimension to the subject.
The Prince Charles or Tricolour Spaniel
The second dog displays black, white and tan colouring corresponding to the historic Prince Charles, or tricolour, variety.
During the Victorian period the principal toy-spaniel colour varieties included King Charles, Blenheim, Prince Charles and Ruby.
The Prince Charles designation was associated with the tricolour variety.
The darker colouring of the right-hand dog performs an important compositional role, providing a strong tonal contrast with the predominantly pale Blenheim.
Warm tan markings around the head and face further articulate the animal's expression.
The pairing of these two contrasting varieties provides both visual interest and an engaging connection with the history of British toy spaniels.
Historic King Charles Spaniels
The dogs should be understood within the context of the historic British King Charles or toy-spaniel tradition rather than automatically identified as modern Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
The appearance and formal classification of Britain's toy spaniels changed considerably during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Victorian examples could retain a more pronounced muzzle than the increasingly short-faced King Charles Spaniel that subsequently became fashionable.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel developed separately during the 20th century through efforts to recreate the longer-faced toy spaniels represented in earlier paintings.
For a work catalogued circa 1880, King Charles Spaniels is therefore the historically appropriate principal description, with the two dogs more specifically identified by their Blenheim and Prince Charles or tricolour colouring.
Colour & Technique
The artist employs a restrained naturalistic palette dominated by chestnut, black, cream, white, olive green, ochre and earthy brown.
Against the subdued landscape, the contrasting coats of the spaniels provide the principal areas of colour and light.
The Blenheim is constructed through passages of warm reddish chestnut and creamy white, while its companion combines deeper black and brown tones with white and tan accents.
Particular attention has been given to the long feathered ears and coats of the animals.
The surrounding landscape is handled more broadly and atmospherically, helping the countryside recede naturally while retaining the dogs as the principal focus.
The Wooded Landscape
The two spaniels are positioned within a gently receding rural landscape framed by mature vegetation and trees.
Open ground extends behind the dogs towards a softer middle distance, while groups of deciduous trees create the impression of wooded parkland or the edge of a country estate.
No identifiable house, church, monument or other distinctive topographical landmark is visible.
Consequently, no particular estate, county or geographical location is presently attributed to the landscape.
The setting nevertheless belongs firmly to the tradition of British sporting and animal portraiture, in which cherished dogs and prized horses were frequently represented within country-estate, parkland and woodland environments.
Such landscapes did more than provide a decorative background. They associated the animals with rural life and the culture of the British country house.
John Dalby of York
John Dalby of York (1810–1865) was a British painter particularly associated with sporting and animal subjects.
His surviving oeuvre includes horses, hunting scenes and canine subjects represented within rural and wooded landscapes.
Dalby's work belongs to the important British tradition in which animals were treated as individual portrait subjects possessing their own character and physical presence.
His canine paintings provide particularly relevant comparative material for the present work.
Comparable Works
Documented paintings by John Dalby provide valuable contextual comparisons.
Christie's has catalogued Dalby's Smut, a Spaniel, signed and dated Dalby 1845, oil on board, measuring approximately 24.1 x 29.2 cm.
Its intimate scale, rigid support and concentration upon a spaniel provide useful comparative context.
Of particular relevance is the recorded signed work King Charles Spaniels Seated in a Wooded Landscape.
Its combination of King Charles Spaniels, multiple canine subjects and a wooded landscape makes it an especially pertinent comparison.
The existence of this composition forms an important element of the comparative reasoning behind the present qualified designation in the manner of John Dalby.
These comparisons do not establish authorship by Dalby. They demonstrate that the subject and pictorial treatment of the present painting sit within the broader British canine-painting tradition associated with his work.
Attribution
The painting is catalogued as:
In the Manner of John Dalby of York (1810–1865)
The designation is deliberately qualified.
Within established art-market terminology, “in the manner of” describes a work executed in a style associated with a particular artist without asserting that it was painted by that artist, a member of the artist's studio or a pupil.
The present painting is considered late 19th century and therefore postdates Dalby's lifetime.
The designation recognises relevant similarities of subject, composition and artistic tradition while maintaining the necessary distinction between this painting and works securely attributed to Dalby.
No documentary, technical or provenance evidence has presently been identified establishing authorship by John Dalby.
Dating
The painting itself is undated.
It is catalogued here as circa 1880, within the late 19th-century Victorian period.
The previous auction description identified the work as late 19th century.
Circa 1880 is therefore employed as a considered approximate catalogue date within that established period rather than represented as a documented year of execution.
The subject matter is consistent with this dating. King Charles Spaniels were firmly established within Victorian Britain, while their differing colour varieties formed an important part of contemporary toy-spaniel terminology.
The circa 1880 dating should therefore be understood as a considered scholarly assessment informed by the previous auction description, physical appearance, subject and broader historical context.
Signature & Inscription
No securely deciphered artist's signature has presently been identified.
Dark painted markings are visible within the lower foreground.
Some appear consistent with surrounding vegetation and foreground detail, while it remains possible that an indistinct inscription or signature is incorporated amongst them.
The available evidence is insufficient to identify an artist's name reliably.
The work is therefore catalogued conservatively as apparently unsigned, with possible indistinct inscription or painted markings to the lower foreground.
No attempt has been made to interpret these markings as the signature of John Dalby.
Provenance
Amersham Auction Rooms, Buckinghamshire, 6 June 2024, Lot 218
Acquired from the above sale by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Auction Label
The reverse retains an Amersham Auction Rooms auction label recording:
Lot 218
06/06/2024
The surviving auction label provides physical documentary evidence of the painting's appearance at the sale and forms part of its continuing provenance record.
No earlier named collection or ownership history has presently been established from the available evidence.
Dimensions
Framed
Height: 31 cm
Width: 34 cm
Depth: 4 cm
Panel
The precise unframed panel dimensions have not presently been recorded.
Frame
Presented in a decorative gilt wood and composition frame with prominent raised foliate ornament.
The broad outer moulding incorporates a repeating laurel-leaf and berry-style design, complemented by a stepped gilt inner section surrounding the painted panel.
The richly ornamented frame gives the comparatively intimate painting considerable decorative presence and complements its Victorian animal subject.
Age-related rubbing, wear, small losses and imperfections are visible to the gilded and moulded surfaces.
The frame accompanies the painting as part of its current presentation and is not represented as original to the work.
Condition Report
Offered in good used condition consistent with age.
The painted surface displays age-related craquelure, surface marks, scattered abrasions and areas of historic paint wear and surface variation consistent with a late 19th-century oil painting.
Small areas of paint disturbance or loss are visible.
The rigid panel support is visible from the reverse.
The decorative gilt frame displays age-related rubbing, wear, chips, small losses and imperfections to the moulded ornament commensurate with age and use.
Hanging wire and fittings are present verso for wall display.
No invasive conservation examination, ultraviolet examination or scientific analysis has been undertaken. Buyers should review the supplied photographs, which form an integral part of the condition description.
Collecting Interest
The painting brings together several appealing areas of British collecting interest: Victorian animal portraiture, historic dog paintings, King Charles Spaniels, British sporting art and traditional country-house decoration.
The representation of two different historic spaniel colour varieties provides particular breed-specific interest.
The chestnut-and-white Blenheim carries the longstanding association of that variety with Blenheim Palace and the Dukes of Marlborough, while the black, white and tan companion represents the historic Prince Charles or tricolour variety.
Their pairing within a wooded landscape places the work firmly within the visual tradition of 19th-century British canine portraiture.
The comparison with John Dalby's documented spaniel paintings provides additional art-historical context, while the qualified in the manner of John Dalby attribution distinguishes this later Victorian work from paintings securely attributed to Dalby himself.
Its compact dimensions make the painting particularly versatile for display within a drawing room, study, library, hallway or bedroom.
It would also sit particularly well within a collection of Victorian animal paintings, British sporting art or historic canine portraiture.
Shipping
Worldwide shipping is available.
Owing to the historic framed presentation of the artwork, it will be professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials and dispatched fully insured.
International buyers are welcome. Please contact us for a destination-specific delivery quotation or to discuss any particular shipping requirements.
Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution
The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, exhibition history and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.
Attribution and Research
The historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis, dating 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 physical evidence, historic inscriptions, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.
These 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.
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Every 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.
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