emily peel

Edwin Landseer “Lady Emily Peel with her two Borzois”

   

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1856

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emily peel
Lady Emily Peel with Udaloi & Yazva

Edwin Landseer is considered one of the worlds finest painters of animals, especially dogs. He is also famous for having a dog breed named after him. Landseers (black/white Newfoundlands).

Following information is given by Andrus Kozlov: Lady Emily Peel (1836–1924) was the wife of the son of British Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. At the time, her husband was serving as secretary to Lord Granville, who headed the British diplomatic mission attending the coronation celebrations of Emperor Alexander II in Moscow in 1856. During the festivities, hunting parties were organised in the outskirts of Moscow in the presence of foreign ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps. In the book The Life of Granville George Leveson, Second Earl Granville, K.G., the following account appears: „The Emperor has given Lady Stafford and lady Peel and me a pair of Russian greyhound each, beautiful dogs with long hairs, and very smart dog cloths embroidered with Imperial arms. „

The two Borzois presented to Lady Emily Peel had been bred in the Imperial kennels. The dogs given to Lady Stafford and Lord Granville, on the other hand, came from a group purchased specifically for the hunt with foreign guests from the estate of a landowner named Myasoyedov. These dogs were called Pobedim, Zverek, Milka and Arapka.
Lady Emily Peel’s dogs were sent from St Petersburg to London aboard the ship Flora in the spring of 1857. Documents relating to their shipment have been preserved in the Russian State Historical Archive. Attached to the original shipping invoices was a note describing the two borzois: “The male dog, named Udaloi, was white in colour, with fawn-coloured head and ears, a white stripe between the eyes, a fawn-coloured patch on the left shoulder and two fawn-coloured patches on the right side. His height was 15 vershoks. The female, named Yazva, was white in colour, with a fawn-coloured head and ears, a white stripe between the eyes, fawn-coloured patches on her back and sides, and another fawn-coloured patch on her hindquarters. Her height was 13½ vershoks.” Note: Vershok =4.5 cm, The dogs depicted in the painting can be recognised by their distinctive coat colouring.
In 1858, Sir Robert Peel commissioned the renowned artist Edwin Landseer to paint a portrait of Lady Emily Peel with her beloved dogs. The agreed price was 900 guineas. However, as reported in contemporary newspapers, the painting remained unfinished for many years due to the artist’s declining health and numerous other commitments. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1872, where it was purchased by Mr Eaton for 1,500 guineas. The transaction was subsequently disputed by Mr Peel.
For many decades after receiving her first Borzois as gifts, Lady Emily Peel remained one of the earliest breeders of Borzois in England.