Conformation and the Parade Ring · The Conformation
'Barefoot, 1823'
John Frederick Herring Sr., oil on canvas, 1823 · oil on canvas
What it is
Barefoot's coat is glossed to a deep bay shine under a flat Doncaster sky, the year of his big win.
Why it matters
This is Herring early in the formula he would run for thirty years — the champion alone, groomed past the point of vanity, painted as evidence rather than flattery.
What to notice
A single white sock is painted crisp against a coat kept otherwise dark and plain — the one flourish Herring allows himself.
Some records are kept in oil, not print.
Provenance
- Maker
- John Frederick Herring Sr., oil on canvas, 1823
- Era
- The Georgian Turf (1750–1837)
- Chapter
- The Yard Wakes
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Made
- 1823
- Horse
- Barefoot
- Source
- Private collection
Print master
The largest formats are printed from a master enlarged 3× from the surviving 1728×1264 scan by AI enhancement (Claid smart-enhance), prepared for the considered detail of a print viewed at distance. The source record above is unchanged — the enhancement serves the wall, not the archive.
Rights: CLEAR. Public domain — U.S. 95-year rule (published 1930 or earlier). Gated by the work’s own year of publication. Cleared by registry on 2026-07-20.
Format
The full-resolution, color-managed file — restored honestly, yours to print and keep.
Sized to protect print quality — this scan supports sizes up to 18x24" cleanly.
Size
$29.00
More from the Stable Wall
Elsewhere in the family
- The Links — the other morning religion.
- Painted Lineage — the bloodline, beside the family line.
- Painted Earth — home ground as a period map.