GEORGE GARRARD, A.R.A. 177 



King's pictures while the banqueting-hall was given 

 up to rehearsals of two masks, one of which was to 

 be held at Twelfth-tide and the other at Shrove-tide. 



Of George Garrard's early life very little is known. 

 He studied under Joseph Simpson, a famous draw- 

 ing-master and was afterwards a pupil of Sawrey 

 Gilpin; in 1778 he studied at the Royal Academy. 

 His first contribution to the Royal Academy exhibi- 

 tion was a picture entitled " Two Horses," which 

 was shown in 17S1, when his address is given as 

 "At IVIr. Gilpin's, Knightsbridge." It was not 

 long before he received a convincing proof of the 

 opinion entertained of his work by the first artists of 

 the day. This was a commission from Sir Joshua 

 Reynolds, who was so pleased with his " View of a 

 Brewhouse Yard," exhibited in 1784, that he gave 

 the young artist an order for a picture of similar 

 character. Though portraits of horses and dogs 

 occupied much of Garrard's attention at this period, 

 as they did for the best part of his career, he also 

 enjoyed some reputation as a landscape painter. 



Hence when Colonel Thornton,* in preparing for 

 his famous sporting tour in Scotland about 1786, 

 addressed "the ingenious Mr. Gilpin, in whose 

 taste as an artist, and good sense as a man I could 

 confide ; particularly lamenting the want of a proper 



* See Appendix, p. 211. 

 12 



