Oil on canvas, 38.1cm x 52.7cm.
Signed, inscribed and dated, l.r. ‘Start of the Derby 1847/ H. Alken’.
Henry Thomas Alken was the son of a sporting artist, with whom he initially trained.
He later studied with the miniature painter J.T.Barber (1774-1841) and early in his career was a miniaturist.
However, he eventually turned to painting sporting and coaching subjects himself, working in both oil and water colour.
He was also an extremely skilled etcher and caricaturist.
His son, Henry Alken Jnr. (1810-1894), also became a fine sporting artist.
