Charles Bentley after Henry Alken

A Steeple Chase

20 x 14 inches

A set of six aquatints in original colour, etched by Bentley after Alken and published in London by S. and J. Fuller in 1832.

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.

£2600 Set of 6