The Death The Berkeley Hunt – A Victorian Sporting Oil c1880
Charles Faulkner – The Death, The Berkeley Hunt, c.1880
The Concluding Scene From a Four-Part Victorian Foxhunting Cycle
Signed British Sporting Oil on Board, Privately Loaned for Museum Exhibition
Highlights
• Atmospheric late Victorian hunting painting by Charles Faulkner.
• Represents the dramatic conclusion of a traditional English foxhunt.
• Traditionally associated with the Berkeley Hunt in Gloucestershire.
• Fourth and final painting in a coordinated sporting series.
• Signed “C. Faulkner”.
• Particularly effective treatment of horses and hounds in collective movement.
• Restrained period palette reflecting cool, overcast countryside light.
• Distinguished provenance through Gloucestershire, Brighton and a private collection.
• Privately loaned for exhibition at the Lord Hill Museum during 2025.
• Newly presented in a Larson-Juhl frame with AR70 protective glazing.
Introduction
The Death, The Berkeley Hunt is an evocative late Victorian oil painting capturing the final episode in a traditional English foxhunt.
Painted by Charles Faulkner around 1880, the work forms the concluding scene in a carefully conceived cycle of four sporting paintings. The sequence progresses through The Meet, View Halloo and Full Cry before reaching the present composition, The Death.
Faulkner brings the hunt narrative to its climax through the concentrated movement of riders, horses and hounds. The compact format intensifies the scene, while the subdued landscape and overcast sky provide an atmospheric setting for the concluding action.
The other three paintings in the series are available separately. Collectors interested in acquiring the complete four-work cycle are invited to contact us.
Catalogue Details
Artist: Charles Faulkner
Nationality: British
Recorded Activity: Circa 1874–1900
Title: The Death, The Berkeley Hunt
Date: Circa 1880
Medium: Oil on board
Genre: Victorian sporting and equestrian painting
Series Position: Fourth of four
Signature: Signed “C. Faulkner”
Frame: Decorative Larson-Juhl moulding
Glazing: AR70 low-reflection, UV-protective glass
Display: Framed and ready to hang
Catalogue Note
The painting is structured around an insistent diagonal rhythm that draws the eye through the concluding action.
Mounted figures are arranged at intersecting angles, creating a sense of compression and forward momentum. The horses are described with economical, layered brushwork, while the hounds form a tightly coordinated group whose repeated curves generate visual cadence across the lower composition.
Faulkner treats the countryside with greater softness. Muted hedgerows, open ground and distant tonal passages establish depth without competing with the sporting narrative. Cool greys within the sky are balanced by earthy umbers and restrained greens throughout the landscape.
The smooth board support assists the artist’s controlled approach. It permits precise delineation of the smaller figures and animals while supporting broader atmospheric handling in the surrounding terrain.
The result is an intimate but narratively complete example of Victorian sporting art, combining observational detail with the ritualised drama of the English hunt.
The Four-Part Hunt Cycle
The complete sequence charts the traditional progression of a day’s foxhunting:
The Meet introduces riders and hounds gathering before the hunt.
View Halloo records the moment the fox is sighted and the field is called forward.
Full Cry captures the chase at maximum speed and intensity.
The Death concludes the narrative.
As the final painting, the present work completes the dramatic and ceremonial structure of the cycle. While visually satisfying as an individual composition, it gains additional historical and narrative interest when considered alongside the accompanying three scenes.
The Artist
Charles Faulkner was a British sporting painter active during the later 19th century. Although detailed biographical information remains limited, his surviving works demonstrate a sustained interest in equestrian subjects, foxhunting and English rural life.
Faulkner’s sporting compositions are distinguished by closely observed horses and hounds, clear narrative organisation and carefully controlled landscape settings. His muted palettes and compact formats are particularly effective in conveying the cool light and earthy colours of the Victorian countryside.
The present work is signed “C. Faulkner”. Its handling and subject correspond with the other paintings forming the same four-part hunting series.
Signature
Signed “C. Faulkner”.
The painting is catalogued under Charles Faulkner on the basis of the visible signature, its period technique and its relationship with the associated series.
Historical Context
The Berkeley Hunt is rooted in the Gloucestershire countryside around Berkeley Castle, where the Berkeley family maintained hunting hounds over many centuries.
By the Victorian period, foxhunting had become both a sporting pursuit and an important feature of British country-house society. Hunt paintings recorded not only riders, horses and hounds but also the etiquette, dress, landscape and collective ritual of the field.
Faulkner’s four-part series preserves this narrative structure in unusually complete form, moving from anticipation through pursuit to conclusion.
Frame
The painting has recently been reframed in a decorative Larson-Juhl moulding chosen to complement its Victorian sporting character.
AR70 low-reflection glass improves viewing by reducing glare and offers additional protection from ultraviolet light. The glazing allows the painting’s tonal detail and restrained colour relationships to be appreciated more clearly.
The finished presentation is suitable for a library, study, hallway, sporting interior or curated country-house gallery wall.
Provenance
Gloucestershire art and antiques dealer.
Harriet Wynter, Interior Decorations and Antiques, Brighton.
Private collection.
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
Privately loaned for exhibition at the Lord Hill Museum, Shropshire, in 2025.
Dimensions
Framed Width: 41 cm or 16.1 inches
Framed Height: 26.5 cm or 10.4 inches
Framed Depth: 4 cm or 1.6 inches
All measurements are approximate.
Condition Report
The painting is in good antique condition consistent with its age and materials.
The oil surface displays fine natural micro-craquelure, scattered brown foxing-like spotting or staining within the sky and very minor localised paint loss. Light surface marks and age-related variations are also present.
The varnish remains even and clear, with a balanced surface sheen. The board support is flat, stable and secure, without notable warping.
The recently fitted Larson-Juhl frame presents very well. The AR70 glass is clean and provides clear, low-reflection viewing together with additional UV protection.
The painting is stable and ready for immediate display. Please study the photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition report.
Shipping
Worldwide shipping is available.
The painting will be professionally packaged and fully insured, with appropriate protection provided for the frame, glazing and painted surface.
International customers are responsible for customs duties, import taxes and local clearance fees charged by their destination country.
Attribution And Research Notice
The artist identification, date, title, historical interpretation and provenance information contained within this catalogue entry represent the professional, non-guaranteed opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. The conclusions are offered in good faith following visual examination, comparative stylistic research, consultation of published reference material and consideration of the available provenance and exhibition information.
The identification of the artist as Charles Faulkner is based upon the visible “C. Faulkner” signature, the painting’s stylistic and material characteristics and its relationship with the accompanying four-work hunting series. The title The Death and the association with the Berkeley Hunt form part of the established identification of the series.
These observations are professional opinions rather than guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, title, origin, provenance, authenticity or historical interpretation. Future documentary discoveries, conservation examination or scientific analysis may refine or revise the present conclusions.
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Specialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art. Every artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.
Additional photographs and further information are available upon request.
