AFA Summer 2019

Antiques & Fine Art 79 2019 Born in England in 1864, Maud Earl first exhibited at London’s Royal Academy at the age of twenty. A year later, she painted Old Benchers, depicting foxhounds resting on their kennel bench. The title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Britain’s senior barristers, called “the benchers,” who governed the Inns of Court. Maud Earl was the daughter of notable sporting artist George Earl, who taught his daughter how to paint. This was typically the way women became professional artists at the time — by learning their art in the studios of their fathers, husbands, or brothers. Among other things, George Earl taught his daughter to draw skeletons of humans, horses, and dogs, to better understand anatomy. Maud Earl later reportedly claimed she became a successful canine artist because she could paint a dog from the inside out. Earl liked dogs and was able to capture the true character of her canine subjects because she made a point of spending time with them to learn their “little likes and dislikes” before she began painting them. Earl’s approach to her subjects reflected a more humane view of animals, particularly dogs, brought about by the founding of humane societies. Consequently, her paintings were portraits that captured the naturalism, vitality, and spontaneity of her subjects. Her first commissions came from the world of purebred dog shows, but as her reputation grew, she became a favorite of Queen Victoria, King Edward VIII, and other British notables. After World War I, Earl moved to New York, where she continued to paint until her death. Maud Earl (England, 1864–1943), Old Benchers, 1885. Oil on canvas, 50 x 71 inches. Arthur Wardle was one of the most renowned English dog painters, although he also painted other animals. Largely self-taught, at an early age he became an accomplished artist and a member of the Royal British Colonial Society of Artists, the Pastel Society, and the Royal Institute for Painters in Watercolor. His works were so popular that they were reproduced in his time on postcards, calendars, biscuit tins, and chocolate boxes. To the untrained eye, this painting may appear to present two setters scampering through heather. The experienced sportsman, however, recognizes exactly what’s taking place. Long and lean, the setters silently track for game birds whose scent is borne on the air. Once they scent the game, the setters freeze, with head oriented in the direction of the game and tail level with their back; they assume the “set.” To clearly portray the dogs’ athletic qualities, as well as a sense of motion, Wardle used diagonal lines throughout his composition. A true portraitist, Wardle has captured the individual expressions of the dogs. Arthur Wardle (England, 1860–1949), Setters on a Heather Covered Heath, ca. 1895. Oil on canvas, 32½ x 38½ inches.