John Frederick Herring was a British painter of the 18th and 19th century famed for his lively depictions of race horses and agricultural scenes. He is widely considered one of the best animal painters of his time alongside other artists focusing on the genre. Born on September 12, 1795 in London, United Kingdom, he was interested in horses from an early age and was employed making inn signs and decorative elements on horse-drawn carriages before making commissioned works for the gentry. In 1845, he was awarded the title of the ÒOfficial Animal PainterÓ of the Duchess of Kent, and was thereafter commissioned by Queen Victoria throughout the rest of his life. His eldest son, John Frederick Herring the Younger, followed in his fatherÕs footsteps and became an accomplished animal and sporting painter himself. Today, the senior HerringÕs works are in the collections of the Tate Gallery in London and the Watford Museum Collection of Fine Art, among others. The artist died on September 23, 1865 in Tonbridge, United Kingdom. Since 1998 the record price for this artist at auction is $2,098,500 USD for Preparing to Start for the Doncaster Gold Cup, sold at Sotheby's New York in 2011. John Frederick Herring