John Emms (English, 1843 – 1912), Moonstone, 1895, oil on canvas, 15½ x 22 inches, framed: 20 1/4 x 26 ½ inches, provenance: Malcolm Innes Gallery, London, private collection, Virginia
John Emms’ portrait of Moonstone was just circulated by the William Secord Gallery as their Painting of the Week. I chose to use it in this issue because (1) John Emms is a brilliant painter of foxhounds and (2) Moonstone is a fair illustration of the foxhound that was all the fashion of its time.
This particular Emms painting can serve as a segue into my Book Review below. Daphne Moore, the subject of Alastair Jackson’s excellent biography, The Lady of the Hunt, would not have appreciated seeing Moonstone in any pack she hunted with!
Miss Moore’s good friend, Isaac “Ikey” Bell, MFH, led a revolution against Moonstone’s type—the British foxhunting establishment’s vision of the perfect foxhound. Opposed by the great majority of mainstream sporting leaders, and with precious few supporters, Bell developed what we now know as the Modern English foxhound—a lighter, active, and athletic foxhound built for freedom of movement, grace, and durability.
Nevertheless, Moonstone was obviously someone’s favorite hound. As described by the Gallery’s accompanying notes, he “is painted in the artist’s classic style, with an expressive brush stroke and the use of a blue-green background to silhouette the outline of the hound.
“John Emms was the quintessential sporting artist of the late nineteenth century, creating classic images of hunting, shooting and fishing. Best known for his large group portraits of hounds in a kennel, he was equally adept at painting single hounds.”
Posted September 30, 2018