Leghorn Cockeral. 40cm X 30cm oil on canvas. Framed and white mount, total size 50cm X 40cm
 
This is an homage to the livestock paintings of the Georgian era which were commissioned by landed gentry to show off their selective breeding programmes, 'improvement' was a high tech pastime and yield improved by 33% over the period through dubious feeding methods - oil cakes being a favourite pre slaughter fattener and selective breeding. The artists must have been encouraged or ordered to exaggerate the beasts, especially the areas that were considered to be the most desirable such as the shoulders and tackle for stud purposes, as other elements on the paintings are of a normal proportion. The paintings commissioner often appeared next to his fattened animal and the country mansion normally sneaked in an appearence too, such was the modesty of gentlemen - has anything changed?

The Leghorn is a breed of chicken originating in Tuscany, in central Italy. Birds were first exported to North America in 1828 from the Tuscan port city of Livorno,[6] on the western coast of Italy. They were initially called "Italians", but by 1865 the breed was known as "Leghorn", the traditional anglicisation of "Livorno". The breed was introduced to Britain from the United States in 1870.[7] White Leghorns are commonly used as layer chickens in many countries of the world. Other Leghorn varieties are less common.