An animated sporting painting featuring fox hounds jumping over a hedge by Alfred Duke. Some of the hounds can be seen having already made it over a hedge as the rest of the pack races to catch up. Meanwhile the pack leader has picked up the scent of their quarry and is already drawing the other hounds off towards it. The brown tones of the landscape indicate this scene was painted in autumn.

Alfred Duke was an animal and sporting painter born in Lancashire around 1860. He spent most of his life in Manchester where he lived at Ladybarn Lane in Ardwick with his wife Ada. He exhibited regularly at the Manchester City Art Gallery from the early 1890’s and became well known for his hunting paintings featuring dogs. He also exhibited at the Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.

The Victorian era was an age of dog portraits, made popular by Queen Victoria. The obsession of the ruling classes with field sports led to a demand for artists such as Duke who was one of a band of painters celebrating sporting dogs. He was influenced by his contemporaries such as Thomas Blinks and George Derville Rowlandson. Duke’s works are beautifully painted and show an excellent understanding of the animation and movement of dogs.

Examples of his works can be found at Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museum and Turton Tower.

© Benton Fine Art