John Emms (c. 1844 – 1 November 1912) was an English artist.

Biography

Emms was born in

Blofield Blofield is a village and civil parish in the Broadland district of the English county of Norfolk. The parish includes the village of Blofield and the hamlets of Blofield Heath and Blofield Corner. Blofield is located five miles (8 km) ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, the son of artist Henry William Emms. He became an avid hunter and became famous for his paintings of horses, and of dogs, particularly

foxhound A foxhound is a type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, and their barking, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usually on ho ...

s and

terriers Terrier () is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. There are five different groups of terrier, wi ...

. He exhibited at the

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 ...

several times, beginning in 1866. His paintings are signed “Jno Emms”. He married Fanny Primmer of

Lyndhurst, Hampshire Lyndhurst is a large village and civil parish situated in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire, England, about nine miles () south-west of Southampton. Known as the "Capital of the New Forest", Lyndhurst houses the New Forest District, Ne ...

, in 1880. The couple lived in London for a time but returned to Lyndhurst in 1881 and built a large house and studio named ''The Firs'', where Emms lived for the rest of his life. He died in Lyndhurst. His painting of "Callum" a

Dandie Dinmont Terrier A Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a small Scottish dog breed in the terrier family. The breed has a very long body, short legs, and a distinctive topknot of hair on the head. They are friendly but tough, and are suitable for interaction with older ch ...

hangs in the

National Gallery of Scotland The National (formerly the Scottish National Gallery) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by William Henry Playfa ...

. In 1919, the owner of the dog, James Cowan Smith, donated £55,000 (£ in ) to the National Gallery of Scotland with a requirement that obliged them to display the painting on its walls in perpetuity.John Emms, National Gallery of Scotland.
/ref> Emms is considered a painter of great ability. According to the

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit breed registry, registry of purebred dog pedigree (animal), pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions eve ...

, his painting ''The New Forest Foxhounds'' is valued at an estimated $800,000–$1.2 million.

References

*''The Dictionary of British Equestrian Artists''. Dog artists 1840s births 1912 deaths People from Lyndhurst, Hampshire People from Blofield 20th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English male artists {{UK-painter-19thC-stub