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T
he Sartorius family of painters was large and prolific, and our present hanging will include at least six pictures by members, principally John Nost Sartorius who painted the delightful large Hunt in Full Cry as well as the set of four hunting scenes. His work has been popular with rural sportsmen since the day they were painted, though the family seem to have benefited little from the prodigious productivity and commercial success: none of them died prosperous, still less rich. Shooting is as subject that always has great appeal and is wonderfully represented in this very rare set of four oils on panel by Charles Towne. Thomas Stringer of Knutsford was a contemporary of the elder Francis Sartorius, and their work has often been confused, not least because of the similarity of their initials in monogram. Stringer’s work is concentrated on his native county with occasional forays into Shropshire and Lancashire, whereas Sartorius seems to have been itinerant throughout the British Isles. Our hang will include the charming and somewhat eccentric portrait of a gentleman
Above: Henry Allen Snr (1785 – 1851)