Winking Eye Clock

Alfred Munnings was born on 8th October 1878 at Mendham Mill, Mendham, Suffolk, across the River Waveney from Harleston in Norfolk to Christian parents. His father was the miller and Munnings grew up surrounded by the activity of a busy working mill with horses and horse-drawn carts arriving daily. After leaving Framlingham College at the age of 14, he was apprenticed to a Norwich printer, designing and drawing advertising posters for the next six years, attending the Norwich University of the Arts in his spare time. When his apprenticeship ended, he became a full-time painter. The loss of sight in his right eye in an accident in 1898 did not deflect his determination to paint, and in 1899 two of his pictures were shown at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. He painted rural scenes, frequently of subjects such as Gypsies and horses. Munnings was associated with the Newlyn School of painters, and there he met Florence Carter-Wood, a young horsewoman and painter. They married on 19th January 1912, but she tried to kill herself on their honeymoon and did so in 1914. Munnings bought Castle House, Dedham, in 1919, describing it as "the house of my dreams." He used the house and adjoining studio extensively throughout the rest of his career, and it was opened as the Munnings Art Museum in the early 1960s, after Munnings's death. He was elected president of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1944, was made a Knight Bachelor in the same year, and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1947 New Year Honors. Munnings died at the Castle House, Dedham, Essex, on 17th July 1959. The village pub in Mendham is named after him, as is a street there. His immensely popular sporting artworks have enjoyed popularity in the United States as well as the United Kingdom and elsewhere. During his lifetime, some of Munnings's works were purchased by the wealthiest collectors of the day. In 2007, his Red Prince Mare sold for $7,848,000.

Animal paintings depict the beauty and power of nature in an elegant way that can complement any room. Interacting with animals has long captured the imagination and has been interpreted in diverse artistic media.

Some of the oldest works of art have included animals, such as a cave painting found in Indonesia dating back more than 45,500 years that shows a wild pig in red ocher pigment. Animals have continued to appear in every era and style of art, from realism to Pop art and everything in between.

Some paintings portray animals in their natural habitat, highlighting the majesty of wild creatures roaming the plains, forests and jungles. These paintings often feature deer, tigers, wild mustangs and other wildlife. Others focus on domestic animals such as dogs — pay a visit to the Museum of the Dog if you don’t believe us — as well as cats and how they interact with the world and their owners.

Picking the right animal painting for a room — as well as knowing how to arrange your new wall art — can take time. But, in the end, it will tastefully reflect your interests and passions. While an expansive landscape painting helps open up a small space, hanging a horse painting in a den shows a love for equine culture and can invite interesting conversation.

There is animal art to fit every collection on 1stDibs. Explore a wide selection of animal paintings and animal prints in a range of styles and designs to match any home or office.