The stellar sporting entry to John Nicholson’s (24% buyer’s premium) sale in Haslemere on April 25 was this early oil below left by the prolific equine painter, John E Ferneley (1782-1860). The 2ft 9in x 3ft 6in (84cm x 1.06m) study of a gentleman in a black top hat, holding a gun, with his horse and spaniels, had come from a deceased local estate.
Dated 1806, the picture was described by the auction house as a “wonderful early example” and is one of only a clutch to have appeared at auction dated before Ferneley’s formative trip to Ireland in 1808.