John Alfred Wheeler of Bath (1821-1903), attributed to - Jinete a caballo con jauría - Fox Hunting

ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN ALFRED WHEELER Sr. OF BATH (1821-1903)
Portrait of a brown hunting horseman with three foxhounds, c. 1870-1885. Oil on original canvas, re-lining not done, period stretcher with keys. Signed bottom 'J A Wheeler' / 'A Wheeler' under oxidized varnish. Approx. 40x46 cm.
Unframed

Attributed to, circa 1870-1885, oil on canvas, signed lower, oxidised varnish

Bonhams: 'A hunter and three foxhounds' signed 'J Wheeler/Bath/71' - same title as the work we show

Grand Victorian equestrian portrait of John Alfred Wheeler Sr. of Bath (1821-1903), patriarch of the Bath sporting painters dynasty. Hunter on horseback with three foxhounds, oil on canvas signed and dated 1897. A mature work by the author, large in size with excellent anatomical rendering of horse and dogs, typical of his commissions for the English hunting aristocracy. Signed J.A. Wheeler 1897 at bottom right

BIOGRAPHY: John Alfred Wheeler (1821-1903) was born in Andoversford, near Cheltenham, the son of a mason. At 19 he enlisted as a private in the 2nd Queen's Corps, where he studied in depth the anatomy and movement of the horse. He qualified in 1842 due to ill health, married, and settled initially in Cheltenham and later in Bath, in Raglan Villas. He is regarded as one of the most accomplished animal painters of his era and founder of a dynasty of sporting painters that includes his son and grandson. He specialized in equestrian portraits, hunting and racing scenes, highly sought after by the gentry. To be close to his aristocratic clients (Duke of Portland, Duke of Westminster, Duke of Beaufort, Earl of Caithness, Baron Rothschild), he built a house called "Bath Villa" in Hanwell, near London. He also lived in Bath in the late 1880s-1890s. Works of his have been sold worldwide and he is recognized as a significant figure in the Wheeler dynasty.

Note: the frame is an AI recreation (it is fictional).
Dimensions: 45.5 x 35.5 cm
Notes of interest
1. Bonhams London - The Dog Sale, Nov 2023: Alfred Wheeler (son) - A foxhound - Est. 200-300 GBP - Sale: 2,816 GBP
2. Bonhams Edinburgh - The Dog Sale, July 2024: Alfred Wheeler - Est. 500-700 GBP - Sale: 1,408 GBP
3. Christie’s London - English & Victorian Pictures: John Alfred Wheeler (1821-1877) - Set of 4 hunting scenes "Gone Away; Full Cry; Over The Ditch; The Kill" - oil 30.5 x 40.6 cm each
4. Invaluable - Market data: "Miss Jummy" sold for $5,312, "Fox Hounds in a Stable" for $10,000, "Master of the Mendips Hunt" estimated $9,000-12,000 and
5. Bonhams - John Alfred Wheeler (1821-1903) Lord Somerset III, a short horn bull - Signed 'J.A.Wheeler Sen/1884' -