John Nost Sartorius (British, 1759–1828)
Men Out Bird Shooting in a Woodland Landscape, circa 1820
Oil on wooden panel, in a fine antique gilt frame
Unsigned
A finely observed early 19th-century sporting picture by John Nost Sartorius, one of the most respected figures in the English tradition of animal and sporting painting. The composition depicts a quiet moment in the field: a sportsman advancing through woodland with his gun, accompanied by attentive pointers, their forms crisply picked out against the darker recesses of the forest.
Sartorius was celebrated for his ability to combine accurate animal portraiture with atmospheric landscape settings, and this work is characteristic of his mature period. The dogs are rendered with anatomical confidence and individual character, while the surrounding woodland is handled with a restrained, naturalistic palette that lends depth and calm to the scene. The narrative is understated and refined, intended as much for contemplation as for sporting reference.
Painted on a wooden panel, as was common for Sartorius’s smaller and more intimate works, the picture retains a pleasing surface quality and detail. It is housed in an antique gilt frame of appropriate date, enhancing its presence and lending a strong period feel.
Works by Sartorius were highly sought after by country house patrons in the early 19th century and were often commissioned to record favourite dogs or shooting grounds. Today, paintings of this type remain especially appealing to collectors of British sporting art and sit equally well in traditional country house interiors or more formal libraries and studies.
A confident and decorative example of English sporting painting...
Category
1820s Victorian Sidney Yates Johnson Figurative Paintings
