48 ANIMAL TAIXTERS 



Hounds, Mr. John Warde, known after fifty-seven 

 years of mastership as the " Father of Foxhunters." 

 The approbation of so acute a judge of horse and 

 hound indicates the skill with which the young 

 artist reproduced the character of an animal on 

 his canvas. His first picture for Mr. Warde was 

 a portrait of Betsy, a favourite fo.xhound bitch, 

 and the next, painted in the following year, a 

 portrait group comprising Mr. Warde on Blue 

 Ruin, with Betsy looking up to her master. The 

 picture of Betsy was engraved by J. Webb and 

 reproduced in the Sporting Magazine ; a plate by 

 Webb from the second work was published in the 

 New Sporting Magazine. 



This portrait group proved a fortunate commis- 

 sion to William Barraud ; the likenesses of master, 

 horse, and hound were considered admirable, and 

 the artistic ability exhibited in the handling gained 

 the painter no little reputation. It must be added 

 that he was lucky in his equine subject, for Blue 

 Ruin was known as an extraordinary hunter. 

 Foaled in 18 10, Blue Ruin derived his name 

 from the fact that he was bred by a gin distiller 

 at Maidstone ; he was three parts bred, being by 

 Mr. Mellish's thoroughbred Didler, by Pegasus, 

 a horse nearly related to the famous Wellesley 

 Arabian, out of a half-bred mare. He stood 

 sixteen hands, and was long a favourite of Mr. 



