James Cornell's Prize Bull

Two years after James C. Cornell paid for this portrait of his prize bull, he requested that Hicks paint a picture of his Bucks County landholding, a large and impressive farmscape now owned by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

In contrast to the linear, flat, and stylized animals of his kingdoms, Edward Hicks rendered the creatures in the portrait of Cornell's bull with much more finesse and sophistication, roundly dispelling any notion of his inability to paint academically. Rather he was reluctant to do so, probably because of the criticism he received from fellow Quakers early in his career. Hicks's reliance on engravings also influenced the final appearance of this picture. Printed sources by or after Gustavus Canton were used for the foreground sheep, at least.

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