John Duvall - Oil on Canvas - Having A Break

A Delightful Picture by John Duvall in ornate frame called 'Taking A Break' John Duvall (1815-1892) was baptised at St John the Baptist church, Margate, Kent on 3 September 1815, son of John Duvall and his wife Mary. In the 'Durham Chronicle' of 25 August 1848, he was advertising as a Portrait Painter of 63 Fawcett Road, Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, the year that he married at Maidstone, Kent, 24-year-old Lavinia Cockburne Morfill of Maidstone. In 1851, a portrait painter, living at Dorchester Place, Marylebone with his wife and two children, Lavinia Mary 2, born Sunderland, Co. Durham and John William, 8 months, born at Maidstone, shortly afterwards they came to Ipswich. In 1855 Duvall, an artist & teacher of drawing, was living at Westgate Street, Ipswich with a shop at 4 Butter Market and in 1858 living at 2 Clarkson Street, Ipswich from where he painted a portrait of Ipswich coroner John Eddowes Sparrowe. In 1861, living at 10 Clarkson Street with his wife, daughter Lavinia and further children, Charles Anthony, born 1852, Fanny Lucy, born 1854, and Harry Whitteker, born 1857, John must have been away at school but had returned by 1871 when the family were living at 4 Old Butter Market, Ipswich. By then there were two further sons added to the family, Frank Arthur, born 1861 and Sidney Edward William, born 1865. Originally a portrait painter but, with the advent of photography, he turned his attention to the painting of animals being patronised by members of the Royal Family as well as the nobility. He exhibited at the Royal Academy 1855-1877, one of his most noted works was painted in 1868 ‘Suffolk Show in Christchurch Park’ which marked Duvall’s entrance into the field of animal painters. In 1874, when living in Turret Lane, Ipswich, Duvall was the first chairman of the Ipswich Fine Art Club and exhibited views in Kent, Dorset, Jersey and Edinburgh and remained a member of the Society until 1889 and was a regular exhibitor, in 1883 he exhibited six paintings, 'Heath Scene with Sheep', 'Ground Game', 'Friday: Winner of the Goodwood Cup, with Martin, the little Jockey up', which had been painted for His Grace the Duke of Hamilton, 'A Coursing Morning', 'Marking for Father' and a drawing 'Rocks at Brixham' and at the centenary exhibition of the Art Club in 1974, two of his oil paintings were on show 'Sheep on the Norwich Turnpike at Claydon' and 'The Gipsy's Stud'. He was commissioned to paint a series of illustrations for ‘The Suffolk Stud Book’ (1880) being produced by the first Secretary of the Suffolk Horse Society, Herman Biddell of Playford, Suffolk and he also exhibited at the Bury St Edmund's Fine Art Exhibition in 1885 oils, 'Lowance Times', 'Ground Game' and 'Norfolk Sheep' and in 1889 he exhibited at the Woodbridge Art Exhibition at the Assembly Room at the Bull Hotel, Woodbridge, two oils 'Coursing' and 'Spring' but he exhibited widely including at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. In 1885, the family were living at 5 Handford Villas, Ranelagh Road, Ipswich with his studio still at 4 Buttermarket. His wife Lavinia, died at 5 Handford Villas, Ipswich on 12 August 1890, aged 67 and John died on 13 May 1892, aged 76 and buried beside her four days later. On 28 September 1892, Robert Bond, the Ipswich auctioneers, had a successful sale of his stock of paintings, some being purchased by members of the Duvall family.