Biographical Information

Richard Jones
British 1767-1840

Richard Jones is considered to be one of the better sporting artists of his era. Although there is a reasonable record of his paintings, exhibitions and engravings, there is little else know of him. In 1818 he first exhibited at the Royal Academy and gave the address of Reading in the catalog. In 1819 and 1820 he exhibited from a studio in Leicester Square near fellow artist Abraham Cooper who was said to have been a friend. Of the eleven paintings exhibited at the Royal Academy, six were portraits of gentlemen and the rest were animals including a portrait of a bull and a coursing scene. Four coursing subject were engraved by Chas. Turner in 1821 for Ackermann Galleries. By 1824, Jones had moved to Louth, Lincolnshire, where he painted ‘Brocklesby Betty’ a noted racing mare owned by Lord Yarborough. By 1830 Jones had moved again and was working in the Birmingham area. Between 1832 and 1835 he exhibited eleven paintings at the RBSA. It was in this period that he painted ‘Lady, The Birmingham Trotting Mare’ late engraved by C. Hunt in 1838.

Jones’ portraiture of both horse and rider was excellent and powerful. He tended to paint a good sort of deep bodied horse. He paid great attention to detail and his distant landscapes are warm and delightful.