Full Cry The Berkeley Hunt – A Victorian Sporting Oil c1880
Charles Faulkner (British, Active c.1874–1900) Full Cry (The Berkeley Hunt), c.1880
Victorian Equestrian and Fox-Hunting Oil Painting Depicting the Chase at Full Gallop
Highlights
• Original late Victorian sporting oil painting dating from approximately 1880.
• Signed “C. Faulkner” at the lower right.
• Depicts the exhilarating “Full Cry” stage of a traditional English foxhunt.
• Understood to represent the historic Berkeley Hunt in Gloucestershire.
• Dynamic composition filled with galloping horses, huntsmen and pursuing hounds.
• Particularly striking depiction of a mounted huntsman clearing a wooden gate.
• Finely observed equestrian anatomy, hunting dress and countryside detail.
• One of four related paintings forming a complete narrative hunting series.
• Presented in a recently fitted Rococo-style gilt frame.
• Protected by AR70 low-reflection conservation glass with UV protection.
• Formerly exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum.
Introduction
A spirited late Victorian sporting oil painting by the British artist Charles Faulkner, capturing the Berkeley Hunt at the height of the chase.
Entitled *Full Cry (The Berkeley Hunt)*, the work depicts mounted huntsmen and their hounds surging across the Gloucestershire countryside. The leading riders gallop through the open landscape while, at the right, a huntsman and horse are dramatically suspended above a wooden gate.
Faulkner conveys the excitement of the chase through a carefully structured composition filled with forward movement. Galloping horses, taut reins, streaming hounds and sweeping lines in the surrounding landscape combine to produce a convincing impression of speed and urgency.
The painting forms No. 3 of a coordinated series of four works illustrating successive stages of the hunt. The remaining three paintings are available to purchase separately. Enquiries regarding the acquisition of the complete series are welcomed.
Catalogue Details
Artist: Charles Faulkner
Nationality: British
Artist’s dates: Active c.1874–1900
Title: Full Cry (The Berkeley Hunt)
Date: Circa 1880
Period: Late Victorian
Medium: Oil on board
Subject: Equestrian, sporting and fox-hunting scene
Hunt represented: The Berkeley Hunt, Gloucestershire
Signature: Signed “C. Faulkner” lower right
Series: No. 3 of four related Berkeley Hunt paintings
Frame: Recently fitted Rococo-style gilt frame
Glazing: AR70 low-reflection conservation glass with UV protection
Presentation: Framed and ready for display
Catalogue Note
“Full Cry” traditionally describes the thrilling stage of a hunt when the hounds have found the scent and the field commits to the pursuit at speed.
Faulkner places a leading hound prominently in the foreground, its body extended at full stride and establishing the pace of the composition. Immediately behind, three principal huntsmen gallop across the landscape on bay, chestnut and dark-coated horses.
The riders are individually characterised through their posture, clothing and handling of the reins. Their scarlet coats and dark hats provide vivid accents against the subdued winter greens, cool English greys and warm earth colours of the surrounding countryside.
At the right of the composition, a mounted huntsman clears a wooden gate. Horse and rider are captured at the height of the jump, introducing a powerful diagonal movement and a note of controlled danger. A tall, bare tree provides a strong vertical counterpoint, separating this dramatic foreground action from the distant procession.
Beyond the principal riders, further members of the hunt and additional hounds gradually dissolve into the pale atmosphere of the valley. This softened treatment creates an effective sense of aerial perspective and suggests the considerable distance already travelled.
Faulkner combines fine, controlled touches in the bridles, hunting dress and hounds with broader passages of lightly worked paint across the sky and landscape. The result balances close observational detail with a convincing impression of movement, atmosphere and rural space.
The painting belongs to the established tradition of British sporting art, in which individual stages of a hunt were sometimes represented as a sequential group. When viewed with its companion works, *Full Cry* forms the dramatic centre of the narrative cycle.
The Berkeley Hunt
The Berkeley Hunt is among the most historically celebrated names in English sporting tradition, with longstanding associations with the Berkeley family and the Gloucestershire countryside.
Faulkner’s interpretation presents the hunt not simply as a sporting event but as a carefully organised rural spectacle. Riders, horses and hounds move together through the landscape, conveying the discipline, pageantry and excitement associated with Victorian hunting culture.
The rolling fields and winter vegetation evoke the Berkeley Vale and provide an atmospheric setting for the unfolding chase.
The Artist
Charles Faulkner was a British sporting painter active during the final quarter of the 19th century.
His known works concentrate particularly upon horses, hounds, country pursuits and the successive stages of the traditional English hunt. His paintings are distinguished by carefully observed equestrian anatomy, animated hound movement, clear narrative structure and atmospheric countryside settings.
Faulkner was particularly effective when working in a sequential format. Groups depicting stages such as the meet, the sighting of the fox, full cry and the conclusion of the hunt allowed him to construct a continuous visual narrative across several paintings.
In *Full Cry*, his strengths are evident in the muscular tension of the horses, the forward-leaning postures of the riders and the varied movement of the pursuing hounds.
The signature “C. Faulkner” appears at the lower right and is consistent with the form found on other works associated with the artist.
Provenance
Gloucestershire art and antiques dealer.
Harriet Wynter, Interior Decorations & Antiques, Brighton.
Private collection.
Privately loaned & exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum.
Subsequently curated and offered by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
Dimensions
Framed:
Width: 41 cm / 16.14 inches
Height: 26.5 cm / 10.43 inches
Depth: 4 cm / 1.57 inches
All dimensions are approximate.
Condition Report
Offered in good, presentable condition consistent with its Victorian age.
The board remains structurally sound. Fine, stable craquelure is visible across areas of the painted surface, together with minor paint losses within the sky. There is gentle surface soiling and an aged varnish layer typical of a historic oil painting.
The recently fitted Rococo-style gilt frame presents attractively, with light abrasions around the outer edges. The painting is protected by AR70 low-reflection conservation glass, providing reduced glare and additional UV protection.
The work remains visually cohesive and is ready for display. Optional professional conservation cleaning may further enhance the original colours and tonal clarity.
Please refer closely to the listing photographs, which form an essential part of the condition report.
Shipping
Worldwide shipping is available.
The painting will be professionally packed with the care appropriate for a historic work of art. Fully insured delivery can be arranged throughout the United Kingdom and internationally.
Please contact Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® before ordering if you require a specific delivery quotation or wish to enquire about purchasing all four paintings from the series.
Attribution & Research Notice
The historical observations, provenance research, artist identification 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, museum collection records, auction history and professional 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. The title Full Cry (The Berkeley Hunt) is understood to be a descriptive title associated with the work and its place within the four-painting hunting series. It may not represent the painting’s original Victorian exhibition title.
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