Lot 3: THOMAS BRETLAND, 1802-1874

HARE COURSING SCENES

each 63x76cm.; 24½x30in.

a pair, one signed, inscribed Sneinton and dated 1838

oil on canvas

Quantity: 2

NOTE

Hare coursing, although banned September 2005, had been traditionally practised in Britain by landowners and the nobility for centuries. The earliest record of a hare coursing club is that of the Swaffham Club, founded in 1776. In 1836 the first Waterloo Cup meeting for competitive coursing was held at Altcar, near Liverpool, two years prior to Bretland painting the present works when the sport was at its height of popularity.

From 1828 Bretland obtained a number of rich and important patrons including Lord Middleton, the Dukes of Buccleuch and Montrose, Lord Chesterfield and Baron Rothschild which allowed him to travel extensively from his base in Sneinton through England, Scotland and Ireland. Famed for his portrayal of sporting scenes and images of country life, the present works are typical of Bretland's oeuvre.