26 ANIMAL PAINTERS 



painter of horse portraits, but, conscious that he 

 had something to learn which he could not teach 

 himself, sought out one of the most able animal 

 painters of the day, from whom to gain instruc- 

 tion. He had to some extent studied equine 

 anatomy in his coaching days, as witness his 

 drawing of Spartan's fractured leg, which was 

 reproduced in the volume of the Sporting Maga- 

 zine for 1 8 19. Spartan was a bay horse belonging 

 to Lord Derby ; one of the small bones near the 

 pastern was " completely pulverised," says the 

 " Druid," by his break-down. 



We can trace Herring's career as an artist from 

 the year 18 18, the date of his first contribution to 

 the Royal Academy exhibition and the beginning 

 of his connection with the London Gcntlonan. The 

 first of his horse portraits to be engraved for 

 publication in the Sporting Magazine was that of 

 Sultan, a hunter belonging to the Hon. E. Petre, 

 which appears in the volume for 1820. His success 

 was immediate, for examination of the list of his 

 pictures shows that he became the painter of win- 

 nine race-horses at Doncaster from that date. He 

 executed portraits of the following winners of the 

 St. Leger : — Jack Spigot, 1821; Theodore, 1822; 

 Barefoot, 1823 ; Jerry, 1824, and Memnon, 1825, 

 all of which were engraved for reproduction. 



These five pictures prove that Herring found 



