John Emms (artist)

Painting by John Emms portraying two St. Bernards

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

Biography

Emms was born in Blofield, Norfolk the son of artist Henry William Emms.^[1] He became an avid hunter and became famous for his paintings of horses, and of dogs, particularly foxhounds and terriers. He exhibited at the Royal Academy several times, beginning in 1866. His paintings are signed “Jno Emms”.

He married Fanny Primmer of Lyndhurst, Hampshire, 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 hangs in the National Gallery of Scotland.^[2]

Emms is considered a painter of great ability. According to the American Kennel Club, his painting The New Forest Foxhounds is valued at an estimated $800,000-$1.2 million.

References

• The Dictionary of British Equestrian Artists.

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