File:Portrait of Sir Henry Goodricke, 7th Baronet, clearing a fence on his grey hunter (by John Ferneley).jpg

English: John Ferneley Snr.

Portrait of Sir Henry Goodricke, 7th Baronet, clearing a fence on his grey hunter

signed and dated, lower left: J. Ferneley / August 21st / 1833

oil on canvas

Henry Goodricke, 7th Baronet, of Ribston Hall, Yorkshire, or 'Sir Harry' as he was known, was a well-known figure in the hunting world and one of the great sportsmen of the early 19th century. He was, from 1831 until his death, master of the Quorn and a close friend and important patron of Ferneley's. The present painting is dated very specifically 21st August 1833, which is unusual for Ferneley. Goodricke died of pneumonia while hunting in Ireland on 22nd August 1833, following a forty eight hour illness. At the time Ferneley was staying at Mar Lodge in Scotland, one of Goodricke's sporting estates, where he painted quite a few pictures for Goodricke, when the news of his death arrived. It seems likely therefore that Ferneley's portrait is a posthumous one, painted in memory of his friend, envisaging him as he would have been on his last day of health, clearing hedges with reckless abandon in Ireland.

Ferneley's account book includes an entry in circa November 1833 entitled 'a group of portraits of the late Sir Harry Goodricke, Hound and Horses', which may refer to the present painting, as well as other pictures.