Fishing on the River Avon, near Fordingbridge, Hampshire: Fishing for Pike (Primary Title)

Henry Thomas Alken, English, 1785–1851 (Artist)

1842
English
oil on panel
Unframed: 6 3/4 × 9 1/2 in. (17.15 × 24.13 cm)
Framed: 10 1/2 × 13 1/4 in. (26.67 × 33.66 cm)
85.485.2
In these two scenes, Alken captures anglers along the Hampshire Avon, one of the most famous rivers for trout fishing in England. Fishing was a less restrictive sport than shooting, and local fishermen could often obtain a permit from a landowner or the warden charged with looking after the stream and stocking it with fish. Alken’s figures relate convincingly to the landscape, which he has rendered in a realistic manner.
Inscribed on a branch, lower center, "H. Alken / 1842."
Paul Mellon Collection
2018-2019: "A Sporting Vision: The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art from the VMFA", National Sporting Museum & Library, Middleburg, VA, April 13 - July 22, 2018; Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN, February 2 - May 5, 2019; Frick Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, June 15 - September 8, 2019
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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