English School

Large Traditional English Sporting Art Oil Painting Horse Racing Countryside

'Jockey Up' English School, 20th century oil painting on canvas canvas: 25 x 27 inches framed: 30 x 32 inches provenance: private collection, Dorset, England...

The English Hunting Party late 20th century signed oil on canvas, framed framed: 21 x 25.5 inches canvas: 16 x 20 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good and s...

Samuel Henry Alken (1810–1894) Horse Racing Scene, Possibly the Epsom Derby Oil on board, unsigned Attributed, English school circa 1840 Presented in a later gilt frame with beaded inner edge This dynamic mid-19th century racing scene, attributed to Samuel Henry Alken—also known as Henry Alken Junior—captures the high-stakes moment just before the thundering release of horses and riders at the starting line. A tightly packed field of brightly jacketed jockeys leans forward with urgent anticipation, the taut muscles of their mounts echoing the gathering tension. In the foreground, a race marshal gestures dramatically to signal the start, his stance underscoring the energy about to be unleashed. Though unsigned, the work bears the unmistakable hallmarks of Samuel Henry Alken’s hand: vigorous composition, attention to equine form, and a sharp eye for the choreography of sport. The figures are finely modelled, the palette lively but grounded, and the setting—with its wooded backdrop, animated crowd, and distant grandstands—suggests a major 19th-century race meeting, possibly the Epsom Derby, a subject Alken is known to have returned to in several formats. The composition’s panoramic sweep and low horizon lend a cinematic quality, while the density of detail—each silken cap and coat, each bridle and plume—evokes the pageantry and social theatre of Britain’s sporting calendar at the height of its Regency and early Victorian splendour. A rare and spirited scene from the golden age of English sporting painting...

Oil on canvas Image size: 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches (40 x 50 cm) 19th century gilt pierced frame This is a wonderful scene featuring a dark bay racehorses mounted by its jockey. The pa...