James Barenger (1780–1831) was an English

animal painter An animal painter is an artist who specialises in (or is known for their skill in) the portrayal of animals. The ''OED'' dates the first express use of the term "animal painter" to the mid-18th century: by English physician, naturalist and writ ...

and illustrator.

Life

Barenger was born in

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town, close to Hampstead Heath. Kentish Town likely derives its name from Ken-ditch or Caen-ditch, meaning the "bed of a waterw ...

, London, the son of James Barenger Snr., a metal chaser and artist who exhibited paintings of insects at the Society of Artists and

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, and Sarah Woollett, the daughter of the engraver,

William Woollett William Woollett (15 August 173523 May 1785) was an English engraver operating in the 18th century. Life Woollett was born in Maidstone, of a family which came originally from the Netherlands. He was apprenticed to John Tinney, an engraver in ...

. Sir

Walter Gilbey Sir Walter Gilbey, 1st Baronet, (2 May 1831 – 12 November 1914) was an England, English Vintner, wine-merchant, horse-breeder, author, and philanthropist. Early life Gilbey was born at 11, Windhill, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire to Henry ...

, F. Babbage,
Animal painters of England from the year 1650, Volume 1 - Alken to Gooch
' (London: Vinton & Co., 1900) pp. 34–39. His brother Samuel Barenger (christened Major Samuel Barenger) also became an engraver. Beginning as a landscape artist, Barenger went on to specialise in painting horses, dogs and other animals, and hunting scenes. In 1807, at the age of 28, he exhibited at the

for the first time. At this stage, he was living with his father in

, but later moved to

Camden Town Camden Town () is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London. Laid out as a residential distri ...

. He went on to exhibit 48 paintings at the Royal Academy and eight at the

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it ...

. He acquired numerous wealthy and aristocratic patrons, and his pictures were also engraved for sporting publications such as W. H. Scott's ''British Field Sports'', ''The Sporting Repository'', ''The Annals of Sporting'' and ''

The Sporting Magazine ''The Sporting Magazine'' (1792–1870) was the first English sporting periodical to devote itself to every type of sport. Its subtitle was "Monthly Calendar of the Transactions of the Turf, the Chase and Every Other Diversion Interesting to the ...

''. For the last of these, Scott engraved Barenger's painting of the racehorse Blucher (''ca.'' 1814). As well as painting, Barenger also bred pointer dogs. He died on 1 October 1831 and was buried in Old St Pancras churchyard.

References

Sources

External links

Art UK
Paintings in British Public Collections.

(ArtCyclopedia)
Race Horses
(oil on canvas - Julian Simon Fine Art, London) {{DEFAULTSORT:Barenger, James 1780 births 1831 deaths 18th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English painters English illustrators Equine artists English landscape artists Dog breeders 19th-century English male artists 18th-century English male artists