Two Durham Oxen (Primary Title)
Thomas Weaver, English, 1774 - 1843 (Artist)
Oxen such as those depicted here were bred competitively for size and hauling strength. Success in breeding was a matter of great pride, as indicated by Weaver’s specific notation: the ox on the left weighed 2,742 pounds, and the one on the right weighed 2,437 pounds. The village in the background is Tixall (near Stafford), and the oxen’s owner was tenant farmer John Bond.
Inscribed, lower center, "Painted by Thos Weaver. Shrewsbury. 1827". Engraved in aquatint by Charles Turner and published.
Paul Mellon Collection
2018-2019: "A Sporting Vision: The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art from the VMFA", National Sporting Museum & Library, Middleburg, VA, April 13 - July 22, 2018; Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN, February 2 - May 5, 2019; Frick Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, June 15 - September 8, 2019
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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