George Garrard was a successful artist in oils when, in 1798, he conceived the idea of making models of the various breeds of cattle and sheep in England.
At that time, many landowners and farmers were experimenting with the breeding of their livestock in order to produce beasts that were best suited for work, meat production and hardiness.
Garrard’s inspired idea was that a scale model in plaster was superior to a two-dimensional image, in order to show conformation and size of the finest stock.
It is possible that this model, and several others, were later acquired by William Alleyne Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Exeter (1825-1895), who inherited the title in 1867.
He was a keen ‘gentleman farmer’ and agronomist who owned a renowned, prize winning pedigree herd of Shorthorn cattle, including the famous bull, ‘Telemachus.’ See SIL04595.
