{"product_id":"sporting-alken-john-the-grand-leicestershire-fox-hunt-set-of-4-plates-1839","title":"Sporting, Equestrian, Alken John, The Grand Leicestershire Fox Hunt, Set of 4 plates, 1839","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeries of Four Aquatints\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Grand Leicestershire Fox Hunt\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Fox Chase in the oblong cartouche\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Date: 1839\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArtist: Alken Henry\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEngraver: Hunt\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublisher: Laird IW\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaper Size: 490 x 610mm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrint Size: 450 x 570mm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlate1:450 x 570mm, Plate 2:450 x 570mm, Plate 3:450 x 570mm,  Plate 4:450 x 570mm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition: Paper condition good though darkened with age. Some watermarks visible on Plates 2 and 3\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTechnique: Aquatint\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrice: Set of 4 for $1,000\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescription: Aquatint, hand-coloured and varnished in places\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProvenance: The Fox Chase, set of 4 plates\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOblong Cartouche on each plate\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Centre of cartouche is a colophon comprised of crossed whips, fox’s brush, saddle, stirrups and huntsman’s cap.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescription of each plate in cartouche\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBiography\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlken Henry 1785 – 1851\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlken was born on 12 October 1785 in Soho, Westminster, and baptised on 6 November at St James's Church, Piccadilly. He was the third son of Samuel Alken, a sporting artist. Two of his brothers were George and Samuel Alken the Younger, also an artist. In 1789, the Alken family moved from Soho to 2, Francis Street East, Bedford Square.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYoung Henry first studied under his father and then with the miniature painter John Thomas Barber Beaumont (1774–1841), also known as J. T. Barber.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e In 1801, Alken sent a miniature portrait of Miss Gubbins to the Royal Academy Exhibition. He exhibited a second miniature at the Royal Academy before abandoning miniature painting and taking on painting and illustrating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Early in his career, he painted sporting subjects under the name of \"Ben Tally-O\". Alken married Maria Gordon on 14 October 1809 at St Clement’s Church, Ipswich. On 22 August of the following year later the couple's first son was baptised. Alken went on to father five children, of whom two were artists, Samuel Henry, also a sporting artist, known as Henry Alken junior, and Sefferien junior.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e From about 1816 onwards Alken \"produced an unending stream of paintings, drawings and engravings of every type of field and other sporting activity,\" and his soft-ground etchings were often coloured by hand. When Alken was 26, he and his young family lived over a shop in Haymarket that belonged to print publisher Thomas McLean of the \"Repository of Wit and Humour.\" McLean paid Alken a daily wage of thirty shillings, considered a good income at the time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlken died in April 1851 and was buried in Highgate cemetery. Although fairly affluent for most of his career, he fell on hard times towards the end of his life and was buried at his daughter's expense.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo learn more about the History of English Sport click here\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Antiquarian Print Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32866250260566,"sku":"","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1617\/1641\/products\/Sporting_TheGrandLeicestershireFoxHunt_Plate1_London1839_pbI.W.Laird_engHunt_ppr490x610p365x500_500.jpg?v=1649896494","url":"https:\/\/antiquarianprintshop.com\/products\/sporting-alken-john-the-grand-leicestershire-fox-hunt-set-of-4-plates-1839","provider":"Antiquarian Print Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}