Pair Of Victorian King Charles Spaniels In Wooded Landscape Oil Painting C1880

Pair of Victorian King Charles Spaniels in Wooded Landscape Oil Painting c1880
Late 19th Century British Animal Portrait of Blenheim and Prince Charles Spaniels, Manner of John Dalby
Highlights
• Late Victorian British animal portrait
• Circa 1880
• Blenheim and Prince Charles King Charles Spaniels
• In the manner of John Dalby of York
• Oil on panel
• British School
• Wooded parkland landscape
• Country-house decorative appeal
• Gilt wood and composition frame
• Amersham Auction Rooms provenance
• Framed 31 cm high x 34 cm wide x 4 cm deep
• Certificate supplied
Introduction
A richly characterful late Victorian animal painting portraying a pair of historic King Charles Spaniels within a softly painted wooded landscape.
The dogs are represented seated together and looking beyond the right edge of the picture, creating an engaging sense of shared attention.
Their colouring identifies the lighter dog with the chestnut-and-white Blenheim variety and its companion with the black, white and tan Prince Charles tricolour.
Composition
The animals occupy the immediate foreground and are deliberately given greater definition than the surrounding countryside.
Behind them, muted parkland recedes through mature trees into a soft atmospheric distance.
The result is an intimate country-house portrait in which the animals remain the unequivocal focus.
Historical & Artistic Context
Dating to circa 1880, the work belongs to the established Victorian tradition of British canine and sporting portraiture.
It is catalogued in the manner of John Dalby of York (1810–1865), whose recorded works include King Charles Spaniels Seated in a Wooded Landscape.
The present painting is considered later than Dalby's lifetime and no authorship by him is claimed.
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®
Dimensions
Height: 31 cm
Width: 34 cm
Depth: 4 cm
Frame
Presented in an ornate gilt wood and composition frame with repeating raised laurel-leaf and berry-style ornament.
The frame is not represented as original.
Condition Report
Offered in good used antique condition.
Age-related craquelure, surface marks, scattered abrasions, historic wear and small areas of paint disturbance are visible.
The gilt frame displays rubbing, chips, small losses and imperfections consistent with age.
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
An appealing addition to a collection of British animal painting, sporting art or Victorian canine portraiture, equally suited to a traditional country-house interior or a layered contemporary scheme.
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.
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Specialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.
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.
Additional photographs and further information are available upon request.