Arthur Roland Knight — Landing a Northern Pike, Victorian Sporting Oil Painting, Circa 1890

Arthur Roland Knight — Landing a Northern Pike, Victorian Sporting Oil Painting, Circa 1890

Signed British Angling Painting With Documented Duke’s Auctioneers Provenance

Highlights

• Arthur Roland Knight (1845–1914).

• British School, circa 1890.

• Signed oil on canvas.

• Dramatic northern pike angling subject.

• Depicts the fish breaking through the river surface while being landed with a gaff.

• Characteristic example of Knight’s specialist sporting subject matter.

• Atmospheric reed-lined British river landscape.

• Professionally relined canvas.

• Presented within an impressive period gilt frame.

• Documented Duke’s Auctioneers provenance.

• Sporting and Natural History, 26 February 2025, Lot 117.

• Historic auction title: “Study of a Pike and Gaff”.

• Subsequently exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum, Shropshire.

• Accompanied by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® documentation.

Introduction

An engaging late Victorian sporting painting by Arthur Roland Knight (1845–1914), the British artist particularly associated with angling scenes and studies of freshwater fish.

Painted circa 1890, this signed oil captures the dramatic instant a northern pike surges through the surface of a river towards a waiting gaff.

Knight combines sporting narrative with careful observation of the fish and an atmospheric British river landscape, qualities which distinguish his specialist contribution to Victorian sporting art.

Catalogue Details

Artist: Arthur Roland Knight (1845–1914)

School: British

Date: Circa 1890

Medium: Oil on canvas

Subject: Northern pike being landed with a gaff

Historic Auction Title: “Study of a Pike and Gaff”

Signature: Signed lower left

Presentation: Period gilt frame with inner slip and artist plaque

Overall Dimensions: Approximately 29 x 34 x 3.5 cm

Catalogue Note

The composition is dominated by the powerful diagonal movement of the pike.

Partly submerged, the fish rises towards the gaff entering from the right-hand edge. Knight carefully describes its elongated anatomy and characteristic markings, using the illuminated underside of the fish to contrast with the darker river.

Ripples and broken reflections convey movement across the surface of the water.

Beyond the immediate action lies a markedly tranquil landscape. Tall golden reeds border the river while woodland and distant countryside create an atmospheric setting for the sporting encounter.

The tension between movement and stillness gives the painting much of its visual impact.

The Artist — Arthur Roland Knight

Arthur Roland Knight (1845–1914) was a British painter who developed a particular reputation for angling paintings and studies of freshwater fish.

Pike and trout recur throughout his known oeuvre, frequently depicted within natural river environments rather than as isolated specimens.

His specialist interest allowed him to combine sporting narrative, natural-history observation and landscape painting in a highly recognisable manner.

Today his works are particularly relevant to collectors of British sporting art, Victorian paintings and historic angling subjects.

Provenance

Private collection, Southern England.

Duke’s Auctioneers, Dorset, Sporting and Natural History, 26 February 2025, Lot 117, catalogued as “A Roland Knight — Study of a Pike and Gaff”.

Acquired by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.

Exhibition History

Famous Lord Hill Museum, Shropshire.

The Duke’s Lot 117 identification label remains with the painting.

Dimensions

Overall framed dimensions:

Approximately 29 cm high x 34 cm wide x 3.5 cm deep.

Condition Report

Presented in good antique condition commensurate with age.

The canvas has previously been professionally relined, providing additional structural support.

There is expected age-related craquelure and surface wear together with minor localised paint loss.

The gilt frame displays age-related rubbing, marks, losses and general wear consistent with its age and use.

Please refer to the detailed photographs, which form an integral part of the condition report.

Worldwide Shipping

Worldwide shipping is available.

The framed painting will be professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials and dispatched fully insured.

International buyers are welcome. Please contact us for a destination-specific delivery quotation or to discuss any particular shipping requirements.

Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution

The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.

Attribution and Research

The historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.

These observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.

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.