View Halloo The Berkeley Hunt – A Victorian Sporting Oil c1880
Charles Faulkner (British, Active c.1874–1900) View Halloo (The Berkeley Hunt), c.1880
Victorian Equestrian and Fox-Hunting Oil Painting Depicting the Fox Breaking Cover
Highlights
• Original late Victorian sporting oil painting dating from approximately 1880.
• Signed “Faulkner” at the lower left.
• Depicts the pivotal “View Halloo” stage of a traditional English foxhunt.
• Understood to represent the historic Berkeley Hunt in Gloucestershire.
• Animated composition featuring the fox, pursuing hounds and mounted huntsmen.
• Dramatic incidents include a jumping horse and an unseated rider.
• Finely observed equestrian and canine movement.
• No. 2 in a coordinated series of four Berkeley Hunt paintings.
• Presented in a recently fitted Rococo-style gilt frame.
• Protected by AR70 low-reflection conservation glass with UV protection.
Introduction
A spirited late Victorian sporting oil painting by the British artist Charles Faulkner, depicting the electrifying moment when the fox is sighted breaking cover during a traditional English hunt.
Entitled View Halloo (The Berkeley Hunt), the composition brings together riders, horses and hounds within an atmospheric Gloucestershire landscape. A huntsman raises his whip to signal the sighting while the pack surges forward and the mounted field responds with urgency.
Faulkner combines carefully observed detail with a strong sense of movement, presenting the hunt as both a sporting pursuit and a dramatic rural narrative.
This painting forms No. 2 of a coordinated series of four works illustrating successive stages of the Berkeley 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: View Halloo (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 “Faulkner” lower left
Series: No. 2 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
“View Halloo” is the traditional cry raised when the fox is sighted breaking cover. It represents a decisive point in the hunting narrative, transforming a period of searching into sudden, coordinated pursuit.
Faulkner captures this moment with considerable animation. At the left of the composition, the fox appears small but narratively essential as it moves across the open ground. Nearby, the hounds react immediately, their bodies extended as they gather momentum.
In the middle distance, mounted huntsmen in scarlet coats pivot and advance through pasture, hedgerow and winter brush. One rider raises his whip in the traditional signal, directing attention towards the fox and providing the visual catalyst for the entire scene.
The composition also incorporates two dramatic secondary incidents. One horse and rider are shown negotiating an obstacle, while another rider appears to have been unseated behind the foliage. These details introduce both humour and danger, recalling the narrative richness often found in Victorian sporting art.
Faulkner structures the painting through a series of strong diagonals. The path of the fox, the forward surge of the hounds and the changing direction of the riders carry the viewer across the board. Bare winter trees provide vertical accents and frame the action without interrupting its momentum.
The distant landscape is treated more broadly, using restrained tonal transitions to suggest rolling pasture and mist-softened hills. Crisp figure work in the foreground contrasts effectively with these looser passages, creating both clarity and atmospheric depth.
The palette combines scarlet hunting coats, dark horse tones, winter greens and softened earth colours beneath a cool Victorian sky. Together, these elements produce a vivid and historically evocative interpretation of English sporting life.
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.
As part of the four-painting series, View Halloo represents the moment of discovery that initiates the principal chase and leads directly into the action depicted in Full Cry.
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 animated equestrian and canine movement, clearly structured narratives 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 develop a continuous visual narrative across several paintings.
In View Halloo, his storytelling ability is evident in the carefully staged reaction of every figure. The fox, hounds, huntsman and mounted field each contribute to the unfolding action, allowing the viewer to understand the event almost instantaneously.
The painting is signed “Faulkner” at the lower left.
Provenance
Gloucestershire art and antiques dealer.
Harriet Wynter, Interior Decorations & Antiques, Brighton.
Private collection.
Subsequently curated and catalogued 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 support remains stable. Fine, stable craquelure is visible across areas of the painted surface, together with small paint losses within the sky. There are abrasions around the outer edges, along with gentle surface soiling and an aged varnish layer typical of a historic oil painting.
The recently fitted Rococo-style gilt frame presents attractively. 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 View Halloo (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.
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.
