Attributed George Armfield (English, 1808-1893), Norwich Terriers

Oil on canvas (lined), not signed, retaining two gallery labels to the verso - one for Frost & Reed and the other for The Sportsman's Gallery of New York, presented in a giltwood frame.

Stretcher size 28 x 36 in.; Frame dimensions 38 1/4 x 42 in.

George Armfield was a Victorian painter best known for domestic animal subjects, particularly lively depictions of terriers and other dogs in rustic interiors and sporting settings. He was born in Bristol, England and was originally apprenticed at the age of fourteen to a London trading firm. Disliking commercial work, he turned to painting with encouragement from a member of the firm who supplied him with materials and basic instruction. He also received guidance from his father, the portrait painter William Armfield Hobday.

Armfield first exhibited in 1839 at the British Institution and began showing at the Royal Academy in 1840, continuing to exhibit regularly at the Royal Academy, the British Institution, and the Society of British Artists for roughly three decades. His best period extended from about 1840 to 1869, during which he produced a large number of small, highly finished compositions. A skilled colorist, he often painted tightly rendered scenes of dogs confronting rats, rabbits, or game, works that were popular with Victorian collectors. Later in life his eyesight deteriorated, though he continued working on a smaller scale up until his death in 1893.

The painting has been lined, surface scratch to lower right, with professional retouching visible under UV light.