John Ferneley

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed on the back of the canvas: Portrait of John Ferneley Esquire/of Melton Mowbray/painted by/Henry Johnson -/July 1838.

This portraitback to top

The early history of this picture after its exhibition at the RA is not known. Johnson married Ferneley's daughter, Sarah (1812-1903), in the year in which this portrait was painted.

Physical descriptionback to top

Healthy complexion, blue-grey eyes, soft brown hair, grey whiskers. Dressed in a black stock, white shirt, dark red waistcoat, black coat. Painting of grey and chestnut stallions fighting in the background. Splashes of white and carmine paint on the palette. Background colour dark brown.

Provenanceback to top

Alfred Jones of Bath, presented by him, 1924.

Exhibitionsback to top

RA, 1839 (1182); Leicestershire Hunting Pictures, City of Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, 1951 (23); John Ferneley, 1782-1860, City of Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, 1960 (55).

Reproductionsback to top

Major G. Paget, The Melton Mowbray of John Ferneley (1931), facing p 1.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Ormond, Early Victorian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1973, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.

View all known portraits for John Ferneley