Henry Barraud

HENRY BARRAUD (England, 1811-1874).
"Amazon".
Oil on canvas.
Signed and titled in the lower margin.
Measurements: 70.5 x 90 cm; 82.5 x 102 cm (frame).

Henry Barraud portrayed animals, especially horses, with great sensitivity, giving them as much or more nobility than the aristocrats who commissioned his portraits. This is amply demonstrated in this composition, which the author titles with the name of the mythological women when, in reality, it is only a horse with velvety fur and sumptuous saddle that poses next to the stone arcades of a farm with moss on the facade, behind which there is a wooded landscape.

Barraud was born in London, one of seventeen children of William Francis Barraud (1783-1833), a Customs clerk, and Sophia (née) Hull. His maternal grandfather, Thomas Hull, was a miniature painter. The family was of French Huguenot origin who had come to England at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. His older brother, William Barraud, became a noted animal painter. Like his brother, Henry excelled in animal painting, but his works were mainly portraits, with horses and dogs, and thematic paintings, such as "The Pope Blessing the Animals" (painted in 1842), many of which were executed jointly with his brother. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1833 to 1859, and at the British Institution and the Society of British Artists between 1831 and 1868. The two brothers shared a studio from 1835 until William's death in 1850, and in their joint paintings William painted the animals and Henry the figures. They also produced a book entitled "Sketches of Figures and Animals", (H. Graves and Co., c.1850). Barraud's most popular works were "We Praise Thee, O God"; "London Station, a Scene in Hyde Park"; "The Cricket Ground at Lord's"; and "The Lobby of the House of Commons" (painted in 1872), all of which were engraved or self-painted. He was also commissioned for several royal portraits. His son Francis Barraud (1856-1924) was also an artist, best remembered for his painting of the dog "Nipper" on the "His Master's Voice" record label.