John Alfred Wheeler, Sr. (British, 1821-1903), Mares and Foals in a Paddock

Oil on board, signed at lower left, with sketch of a jockey up on the reverse, presented in a later ebonized and gilt frame.

Board 10 1/4 x 17 3/4 in.; Frame dimensions 17 1/4 x 24 1/2 in.

Born in Andoversford near Cheltenham, Wheeler was the father of artists James Thomas and Alfred Wheeler. After serving in the 2nd Queen’s Corps and later as a trumpeter in the North Somerset Yeomanry, he turned his knowledge of horses to painting. Settling in Bath around 1854, he produced numerous hunting and equestrian scenes, later moving to Hanwell in 1877 to be nearer to his London patrons. Wheeler painted many of the leading racehorses of his day for distinguished clients including the Dukes of Beaufort, Portland, Westminster, Rutland, and Hamilton; the Earls of Rosebery and Caithness; and Baron Rothschild.