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The decision to start trading in ‘19th Century Farm Animal Portraits’ grew out of our passion for livestock breeding and showing, and hence our appreciation of emotion, foremost of which would have to be tremendous pride that lay behind the commissioning of such paintings.

These animals were considered to be the ‘Super Models’ of their time. Outstanding examples of what was considered the height of beauty. For the most part the fatter the better, as fat animals were a phenomenon of the age.

These portraits were executed by a wide range of talents from the most accomplished exhibiting artists to the passing itinerate who could turn a hand to most things. The animals they portray range from the stunningly beautiful to the charmingly naïve.

Following a period of twenty years during which we have been lucky enough to form our own private collection we were stimulated to share our love for this genre of artists and start trading as ‘Blackbrook Gallery’ by our mentors the Josephs who traded as ‘Iona Antiques’ and were the leading International authority in this field until the untimely death of Stephen.

Paintings by category