Plate II First Steeple-Chase On Record 1839 Very Rare Original Coloured Aquatint Henry Alken

THIS IS PLATE II TITLED THE LARGE FIELD NEAR BILES CORNER OF THE 1839 PUBLISHED FIRST STEEPLE-CHASE ON RECORD SERIES OF 4 PLATES DEPICTING VARIOUS STAGES OF THE FIRST STEEPLE CHASE HORSE RACE. DRAWN BY H. ALKEN A LEADING BRITISH SPORTING ARTIST, ENGRAVED BY J.HARRIS, AND LONDON PUBLISHED BY BEN BROOKS IN 1839. (ECLIPSE SPORTING GALLERY, 48 HIGH ST, OXFORD) FRAMED AND IN GOOD CONDITION.
 
HENRY ALKEN'S FAMOUS SERIES OF 4 PLATES (OF WHICH I HAVE PLATE II, PLATE III AND PLATE IV ON AUCTION THIS WEEK), DEPICTING A NOCTURNAL (UNUSUAL) STEEPLECHASE SUPPOSEDLY PERFORMED IN DECEMBER 1803 BY A GROUP OF CAVALRY OFFICERS BETTING ON THEIR HORSES. EACH OF THE JOCKEYS IS DRESSED IN NIGHTGOWN AND CAP. THESE COLOURD AQUATINTS ARE VERY RARE (PLEASE SE ONLINE LISTINGS AND PRICES), ORIGINAL AND AUTHENTIC (PLEASE SEE PHOTOS).
 
THE PRINT TITLES IN THE 4 PLATE SERIES ARE:
Plate 1: Ipswich, the Watering Place Behind The Barracks.
Plate II (THIS LISTING): The Large Field Near Biles's Corner.
Plate III (ON AUCTION AS WELL THIS WEEK): The Last Field near Nacton Heath.
Plate IV (ON AUCTION AS WELL THIS WEEK): Nacton Church and Village
 
Under each plate is a written graphic and fascinating commentary excerpt from 'The Sporting Review', No1. January 1839 on how the race progresses. PLATE II: Whoop and Away The Major in Trouble Subdens Linen Suffers. "Subden was here the first over the fence, a sturdy wattle with a double fosse: but his lot was not cast with a white bean, for horse and rider turned a summerset together and rolled incontinently into one dirty ditch. Whilst Major Medley stood upon the fence and flung his shirt-tail to the wind as he tugged at the old trooper, who was stuck fast in the other. Lounger was the first safely landed. Next to him Hansum on the Grey, then Cannon-Ball on a Hot Ray whose head and tail was always stuck up high in mid air. And lastly Simpson.
 
MATCHING PERIOD OLD TRUE WOODEN FRAME WITH GLASS IN FRONT AND HANGING WIRE AT BACK.
 
SIZE: FRAME 55CM WIDE 45CM HIGH
AQUATINT 45CM WIDE 35CM HIGH
 
CONDITION: Some age discolouration, foxing, fading, and dark spots staining. However, most of these effects are located to boarder and outer edges and not the actual central picture. OVERALL IN GOOD CONDITION FOR ITS AGE.
 
DRAWN BY HENRY ALKEN (1781-1851):
Henry Alken 1785-1851 was an English painter and engraver chiefly known as a caricaturist and illustrator of sporting subjects and coaching scenes. His most prolific period of painting and drawing occurred between 1816 and 1831 when he produced many sets of etchings of sporting subjects mostly coloured and sometimes humorous in character. Alken explored the comic side of riding and satirized the foibles of aristocrats, much in the tradition of other early 19th century caricaturists.
 
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HARRIS (1811-1865)
John Harris III was an engraver working in the 19th century in London. Harris would often translate the works of the prominent animal and sporting artists of the time such as John Frederick Herring Snr (1795-1865), Henry Alken (1785-1851), and James Pollard (1792-1867). Such works were incredibly popular during the early 19th century. The upper classes desired prints of their favourite country sports, such as steeplechasing and foxhunting. 
Harris worked predominantly in aquatint, an intaglio printmaking technique through which tonal effects are produced. (Basicly an process of etching tonal values, aquatint was named for the effects it creates, which look rather like ink or watercolor washes. Looking through a magnifying glass it has variable speckled non uniform dots.) The result of this painstaking work, which could take weeks or months to complete, are glorious reproductions of the original painted works. 
Harris would then commonly add hand-applied paint in order to add vibrant colour and really bring his scenes to life. The ochre and umber coats of the horses seem to glisten. Harris works were often published under the publishers Ackermann and Fores and Brookes.
 
PUBLISHER BEN BROOKS:
Benjamin Brooks advertised in Jackson Oxford Journal that he had opened a branch here of B. Brooks & Sons, Carvers, Gilders, Publishers, & Printsellers of London. 
 
PLEASE ALSO SEE MY OTHER ITEMS LISTED. COPY THE URL UNDERNEATH AND PASTE INTO GOOGLE AND IT WILL TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO ALL MY LISTINGS THIS WEEK. NOTE ALL MY AUCTIONS END AT 22H30 SO IT IS ADVISABLE TO PUT IN AN AUTOMATIC BID (HIGHEST PRICE YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY) EARLY.
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