This charming watercolor of foxhounds in a kennel is by the noted British sporting artist James Barenger.  Born on Christmas Day of 1780 in Kentish Town, Barenger was part of a family that included a number of talented artists.  His father, also named James (1745-1813), exhibited a number of pictures of insects at the Royal Academy (1793-99), and probably served as his son’s instructor.  His mother was the sister of the engraver Woollet, and Barenger is also said to be related to the important artist John Wootton (1686 - 1765), who specialized in landscapes and hunting scenes.  

Barenger first began exhibiting his paintings at the Royal Academy was in 1807, when he was twenty-seven.  By 1812 he had moved to Park Street, Camden Town, but from 1815 onwards he exhibited all his pictures from Mr. Tattersall’s in Hyde Park Corner.  Mr. Tattersall was his main patron, but Barenger also worked for such noted patrons as the Earl of Derby, the Duke of Grafton and the Marquess of Londonderry.