Charles Bentley after Henry Alken

A Steeple Chase

20 x 14 inches

Nobody captures the 'Esprit de Vie' of English equestrian life quite like Henry Alken. In this wonderful set of six aquatints, we join a steeple chase across the beautiful English countryside. In the first plate the riders are about to set off, the horses champing at the bit awaiting the signal to start. A windmill dominates the skyline to the left and to the right an imposing country house can be seen nestling in the trees. Plates 2 and 3 show the race in full gallop with the horses jumping over fences and hedgerow. Disaster strikes in the fourth plate as a horse and rider come a cropper in the ditch whilst in plate 5 another falls foul of a fence. By the sixth and final plate the remaining riders make a triumphant race for the finishing line, greeted by cheering labourers and gentlemen alike.