| Method | Aquatint with original hand colouring |
| Artist | [Anonymous] |
| Published | Published Novr. 1st, 1848, by J. Ryman, High Street, Oxford [but later printing c. 1880's] |
| Dimensions | Image 355 x 530 mm, Plate 450 x 605 mm, Sheet 653 x 501 mm |
| Notes |
A late nineteenth century aquatint depicting preparations for the Oxford Drag, the first plate of a series of four published by the Oxford printseller, stationer, and publisher James Ryman. The scene depicts a large group of mounted huntsmen, along with a small pack of foxhounds, awaiting the start of the Drag. A couple of single-horse gigs are at centre. Unlike traditional hunts, which involve the hounds following a live trail, usually of fox or hare, drag hunts involve the laying of a scent for the dogs to follow along a pre-arranged trail. Although drag hunts have existed since medieval times, they were popularised in the early 1800s. Above the title in the inscription space, the participants of the Drag are labelled. The plate is 'Dedicated with permission to the Right Honble. the Earl of Darnley' who is himself pictured to the right of the scene, attending to the dogs. The Earl in question is the 6th Earl Darnley, John Stuart Bligh, who received his BA from Christ Church in the year of this Meet. He was also an amateur cricketer, making a single appearance for the Gentlemen of Kent. James Ryman was a printseller on the High Street in Oxford, who was active between 1836 and 1865. He published Illustrations of Oxford, which is a comparatively rare work with some uncommon views of the colleges to which celebrated artists like T. S. Boys, Frederick Nash and J. S. Prout made relevant contributions. Condition: Good clean impression, in filled worm holes to inscription space, some light surface dirt to margins. Framed in a birds-eye maple frame. |
| Framing | framed |
| Price | £650.00 |
| Stock ID | 47762 |