A wonderful sporting painting of a Highland pony with dogs and game in a landscape by George William Horlor. The scene features a pony with a tartan blanket and hunting saddle bags standing next to two spaniels. In front of them, a variety of game can be seen laid out on a rock. In the distance, a duck is shown landing on the water of a loch surrounded by mountains.

George William Horlor was born in Bath around 1820 to the artist Joseph Horlor (1089-1887) and Mary Miles. Little is known about his early life, but he was most likely taught art by his father who was a landscape and marine painter. He began working in Bristol as an animal and landscape artist where he lived at Orange Street in the St Paul’s area. Horlor developed a distinctive painting style, characterized by a quick application of paint, to create soft, atmospheric effects.

On 15 March, 1845 he married Mary Cook at St Paul’s Church in Portland Square, Bristol. They initially lived in the Bristol area but also spent time in London, from where he made his debut at the British Institution in 1849. By 1851, had moved to Cheltenham where he lived at 240 Jersey Lodge. It was around this period that he began producing sporting paintings featuring animals, some of which were set in a Highland landscape.

He moved to Birmingham around 1853/4, living in New Street where he set up a studio. Shortly afterwards he began exhibiting at the Royal Academy in 1854, exhibiting 19 paintings over the years. One of his works ‘A Day’s Sport’ was praised in the Art Journal review of the Royal Academy exhibition of 1855. After the death of his wife Mary in 1864 and perhaps to improve his prospects, he moved to London where he lived in Regent’s Park. From his base, he travelled around to paint and in 1868, he met and married Hannah Simmons at Chester. At the end of 1880’s he moved to Brentwood, Essex where he continued to paint and exhibit until 1891. Horlor sadly fell on hard times towards the end of his life and ended up living in Southampton where he died at South Stoneham on 24 January, 1899.

Examples of his work are held by various public collections including the Royal Collection at Osborne House, Sandwell Museum, Stockport Heritage Services, Wednesbury Museum & Art Gallery and the Wilson, Cheltenham.

© Benton Fine Art