Object number
64/96
Title
Portrait of T. W. Coke and North Devon Ox,
Collection
Exhibition
Creator
Description
This is a print from a lithograph of a painting, entitled 'Portrait of T. W. Coke and North Devon Ox', by W. H. Davis, c.1837, animal painter to Her Majesty from 1839. The ox was bred at Holkham in Norfolk and was considered to be the perfect specimen. It is one of a collection of paintings and prints thought to date from the last quarter of the 18th century to c.1860.
Physical description
1 hand coloured lithographic print: brown and gilt frame with perspex
Label Text
<DIV STYLE="text-align:Justify;font-family:Georgia;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:16;color:#000000;"><P><SPAN><SPAN>7. <B>T. W. Coke with a North Devon Ox, c.1837</B><P>Few areas, if any, were overlooked in the Victorian pursuit of agricultural improvement. Alongside developments in steam-powered machinery and improved land cultivation, achieving the most efficient and productive method of breeding livestock was another challenge set upon fervently by the progressive farmer (though much progress had already been made in the eighteenth century by renowned stock improvers such as the Quartley family with their Devon-bred oxen).<P>Here we see Thomas Coke (1752-1842), the great Norfolk landowner who farmed his Holkham estate to great utility in both crop and stock production. He is pictured with one of his Devon beef beasts, derived from the Quartley family stock and described as "the most perfect animal of its kind". The ability of a breed to fatten up very quickly was of prime importance in this period, prompting intense experimentation from stock breeders and leading them to favour the more manageable short-horn breeds against the less adaptable long-horns. Among many changes were the introduction of silage and linseed cake as a nutritional part of an animal's diet, as well as the improvement of livestock housing. The physical appearance of both cattle and sheep gradually altered as fleshy rears were bred-in, replacing hitherto familiar bulky shouldered animals. The image above is typical of late-18th/early-19th century livestock paintings, where farmers and landowners were eager to record these prized, and very over-sized, animals for posterity. So proud was Thomas Coke of his Holkham-bred Devons that he also encouraged his tenants to keep them, one of which, bred by John Hudson, won the 1854 Smithfield Show.<P>Of course, there were down sides to such meddling in nature. The milking capabilites of short-horns declined and other weaknesses appeared in cattle of pure lineage, inviting criticism that the importance placed on pedigree was impractical for everyday farming.<P>64/96</SPAN></SPAN></P></DIV>
Archival history
MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'PRINT – Lithograph // Description // PORTRAIT OF T.W. COKE + NORTH DEVON OX // c.1837 // Lithographer: W. H. Davis - [Animal painter to Her Majesty f. 1839] // Printer: C. Hullmandel // n.p n.d // Hand coloured lithograph 26x 19in // Dimensions // Light coloured wood frame // 85.5cm wide x 73.0cm high // Associated information // Portrait of T. W. Coke Esqr + Clerk Hilliard Esqr. with a North Devon ox bred and fed at Holkam in Norfolk which was considered the most perfect animal of its kind. Sketched from life and drawn on stone by W. H. Davis, animal painter to Her Majesty, Church Street, Chelsea. Printed by C. Hullmandel. // Coke was Earl of Leicester 1837 // References: P. D. Carter's catalogue No.4 p.6.''
Production place
Kensington and Chelsea, Greater London [region]
Production date
1837 - 1837
Object name
Material
Technique
Associated subject
Associated person/institution
