Victorian Oil Painting – The Death (The Berkeley Hunt) c.1880

By Charles Faulkner 🐎

(This painting is No. 4 of a 4-part hunting series. The other three works are available separately—please message us if you wish to purchase all four together.)

Subject & Medium 🖼️

Executed in oil on board, this work portrays The Death—the dramatic final act of a traditional English foxhunt. The scene is associated with The Berkeley Hunt, one of Britain’s oldest and most historically significant hunts, rooted in centuries of Gloucestershire sporting tradition.

Faulkner’s use of a rigid board support allows for exceptionally crisp detailing, precise modelling, and firm control over tonal transitions. Layered greys, soft umbers, and muted greens create a cohesive, atmospheric palette characteristic of Victorian field-sport imagery.

Composition & Technique 🐴✨

Faulkner structures the narrative with a sweeping diagonal dynamic that draws the viewer directly into the climax of the chase.

Key Features

• Horses are angled with anatomical accuracy, their musculature conveyed through short, overlapping strokes that suggest tension and forward drive.

• Hounds converge in coordinated motion, their forms built from rhythmic, curved highlights and shadows.

• Landscape elements—treated with softer, atmospheric strokes—provide depth without distracting from the central drama.

The cool, overcast illumination evokes the authentic rural light of Gloucestershire, grounding the piece in both time and place. The overall effect is one of movement, urgency, and narrative closure.

About the Artist – Charles Faulkner (Active c.1874–1900) 👨🎨📜

Charles Faulkner was a Victorian painter specialising in equestrian and sporting subjects. His works were admired among country-house patrons and collectors of British rural tradition.

His hallmark qualities include:

• Strong anatomical observation

• Clear, forward-driving compositions

• Sensitive handling of horses and hounds

• A restrained, earthy Victorian palette

Although biographical records are limited, his surviving oeuvre shows a confident command of sporting art and a consistent use of the “C. Faulkner” signature form found on authenticated works from the 1870s–1890s.

Signature ✍️

Signed “C. Faulkner” lower right, consistent with verified examples.

Framing 🖼️✨

Recently reframed in an elegant Larson-Juhl decorative moulding and fitted with AR70 low-reflection, UV-protective glass.
This premium glazing:

• Enhances clarity and colour

• Reduces glare significantly

• Guards against UV fading

• Elevates the overall presentation to museum standard

Framed Dimensions:

41 cm (W) × 26.5 cm (H) × 4 cm (D)

Provenance 🕰️

• Gloucestershire Art & Antiques Dealer
• Harriet Wynter, Interior Decorations & Antiques, Brighton
• Private Collection
• Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
• Privately Loaned & Exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum, Shropshire (2025)

A robust provenance supporting long-term collector confidence and period association.

Why You’ll Love It ❤️

✅ Rare and atmospheric depiction of The Berkeley Hunt
✅ Highly desirable Victorian foxhunting subject
✅ Premium Larson-Juhl frame with AR70 museum glazing
✅ Ideal compact size for libraries, studies, and gallery walls
✅ Rich sense of movement, tension, and rural atmosphere
✅ Fine example of Faulkner’s equestrian-sport narrative style
✅ Essential final piece of the four-painting Berkeley Hunt cycle

Condition Report ✅

• Overall good condition for its age (c.1880)

• Stable oil surface with intact Victorian brushwork

• Natural fine craquelure and minor foxing in the sky

• Very small areas of paint loss in places

• Clear, even varnish with a balanced sheen

• Board support remains flat, stable, and free of warping

• Newly framed with Larson-Juhl moulding + AR70 glass for optimal conservation

Clean, stable, and ready to hang.