230 ANIMAL PAINTERS 



painted diligently and with a degree of success 

 which suggests that any shortcomings tuition might 

 correct were more apparent to the artist himself 

 than to his patrons. In 1798 he exhibited six 

 pictures at the Royal Academy. Among these were 

 two, Cattle in a Storm, and Lion and Tiger 

 Fighting, which won much praise. Another 

 picture was the Alderney Cow, no doubt the 

 work commissioned by Sir John Sinclair, Presi- 

 dent of the New (now the Royal) Agricultural 

 Society. This picture marks the beginning of 

 Ward's application of his energy and talents to 

 animal painting, and was the first of an important 

 series of similar works which did much to enhance 

 a rapidly growing reputation. He speedily threw 

 off the peculiarities of style or mannerisms of other 

 artists, and, bent though he was " looking out 

 for a style of his own," he could hardly have felt 

 aggrieved when his 1798 exhibits earned for him 

 the name, "The English Paul Potter." 



The success of the " Alderney Cow " resulted in 

 his selection by the Agricultural Society to paint a 

 series of pictures representing all breeds of farm 

 stock ; and this commission, involving as it did con- 

 tinuous travel about the country for some years in 

 search of models, necessarily brought the artist in 

 contact with a very large number of leading agri- 

 culturists and others. The original scheme of the 



