John Alfred WHEELER (1821-1903, English)
A Bay Hunter
oil on canvas
31 x 41 inches, inc. frame
Price: £12,000 GBP
Provenance: The Parker Gallery, London
John Alfred Wheeler was born in Andoversford, Gloucestershire in 1821. He was the founder of a dynasty of painters which included his sons Alfred Wheeler (1851-1932) and James Thomas Wheeler (1849-1888) and his grandsons John Frederick Wheeler and Walter Herbert Wheeler who were all skilled artists.
He initially served in the army and lived in Cheltenham after being discharged. He specialised in portraits of dogs and horses as well as sporting scenes. He also produced a number of military paintings featuring horses. By 1877, he had moved to Hanwell, London where he achieved considerable success earning commissions from wealthy patrons such as the Duke of Portland, the Duke of Westminster, the Earl of Caithness and Baron Rothschild. Wheeler also spent time living in Bath during the late 1880’s to early 1890’s.
His is considered to be one of the most accomplished animal artists of his day. He died at Hanwell in 1903.
Examples of his work are held by the Victoria Art Gallery, Bath, the National Trust, Somerset Military Museum and the Salford Museum & Art Gallery.