Thomas Smythe — Hunting Charge Grey & Chestnut Horses Mounted Victorian Sporting Oil Painting
Thomas Smythe — Hunting Charge, Victorian Sporting Oil On Canvas
An Impressive Large-Scale Equestrian Scene With Hunt Riders on Grey & Chestnut Horses with Hounds And Documented Auction History
Highlights
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Important large-format Victorian sporting painting by Thomas Smythe (1825–1906)
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Signed T Smythe lower left
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Oil on canvas
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Dramatic hunting scene with mounted riders, horses and hounds
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Central white horse and red-coated huntsman as principal focal point
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Rich secondary rider in dark coat and top hat
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Further riders and hounds create depth and movement
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Atmospheric countryside beneath an expansive sky
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Presented in an impressive decorative swept gilt frame
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Documented Wilkinson's Auctioneers Ltd provenance, Lot 586, 9 October 2022
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Original auction invoice retained
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Framed dimensions approximately 85 x 120 cm
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Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
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Supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution from Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Introduction
A commanding Victorian sporting painting by Thomas Smythe (1825–1906), Hunting Charge presents an expansive scene of mounted riders pursuing a hunt across open English countryside.
The composition centres upon a white horse in full galloping stride carrying a huntsman dressed in a vivid scarlet riding coat and white breeches. Immediately behind, another gentleman in a dark coat and top hat follows on a deep brown horse.
Beyond these principal figures, the landscape opens towards the horizon, populated by additional mounted riders and a pack of hounds running across the countryside.
The combination of energetic equestrian action, atmospheric landscape and strongly contrasted colour gives the work considerable visual force.
Signed T Smythe lower left and housed within an impressive decorative swept gilt frame, the painting is a substantial and highly decorative example of nineteenth-century British sporting art.
Catalogue Details
Artist: Thomas Smythe (1825–1906)
Title: Hunting Charge
Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 19th century / Victorian period
Signature: Signed lower left T Smythe
Subject: Hunting / Equestrian Sport / Sporting Landscape
Canvas dimensions: approximately 71 x 107 cm
Framed dimensions: approximately 85 x 120 cm
Frame: Decorative swept gilt frame
Auction Documentation: Wilkinson's Auctioneers Ltd, Auction 0094, Lot 586, 9 October 2022
Catalogue Note
Smythe's ability to combine animal painting with landscape is particularly evident in this work.
The central white horse provides a natural focal point through its scale and colouring. Its extended limbs and flowing mane capture the physical energy of the gallop, while the rider's bright red coat establishes an immediate visual emphasis.
The second rider and darker horse provide a counterbalancing mass, while the smaller figures in the background gradually recede towards the tree line.
The pack of hounds to the left is an important narrative component, reinforcing the direction and speed of the hunt while also linking the foreground to the distant landscape.
The sky is handled in an atmospheric range of pale blue, grey and cream, while the earth beneath the horses is developed in earthy browns, ochres and muted greens.
The overall effect is both decorative and narrative: an ambitious sporting composition in which horse, rider, hound, weather and landscape all contribute to the unfolding scene.
The Artist
Thomas Smythe (1825–1906) was a Suffolk-born British painter of landscapes, animals and rustic subjects.
Born at Ipswich, he worked professionally in the town during the mid-nineteenth century and exhibited his paintings through both regional and wider British artistic organisations.
He exhibited seventeen works with the Society of British Artists and became an active member of the Ipswich Fine Art Club from 1878 until 1903.
His work encompasses landscapes, animals, agricultural subjects, rustic scenes and sporting imagery, often combining careful observation of the natural world with atmospheric countryside settings.
Smythe was the younger brother of Edward Robert Smythe and belonged to a notable family of Suffolk artists.
His work remains represented within the secondary market, where signed examples continue to attract collector interest.
Provenance
Private collection.
Wilkinson's Auctioneers Ltd, Auction 0094, Private Collections, Lot 586, 9 October 2022.
The original Wilkinson's invoice, No. 202, records the painting as:
“Thomas Smythe (1825-1906). An Oil on Canvas: Hunting Scene, signed lower left 28" x 42" (71 cm x 107 cm), in a decorative swept gilt frame, 33½" x 47¼" (85 cm x 120 cm).”
Original auction documentation retained.
Subsequently curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
Dimensions
Canvas: approximately 71 x 107 cm
Framed height: approximately 85 cm
Framed width: approximately 120 cm
Frame depth: approximately 5 cm
Measurements are approximate, with the framed dimensions supported by the Wilkinson's auction invoice.
Condition Report
Offered in fine used antique condition.
The canvas has been relined.
The painted surface remains attractive overall but displays foxing or staining, scuffs, areas of paint loss and scattered retouching or paint restoration.
The decorative swept gilt frame shows general age-related wear including scuffs, chips, abrasions and small losses to its finish, consistent with age and previous handling.
The painting remains very decorative and presents strongly when displayed.
Please study all photographs carefully as they provide the best visual assessment of the present condition.
Shipping
Worldwide shipping is available.
Because of the substantial framed dimensions, the painting will require professional packing and appropriate insured transportation.
International delivery can be quoted according to destination.
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.
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