Artwork
The Start of the Hunt
The Start of the Hunt is an oil painting. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The handling is crisp and linear, with carefully delineated figures and landscape elements that emphasize clarity over painterly texture.
Executed in oil on canvas around 1800, the picture measures 88.1 cm in height and 139.1 cm in width. The handling is crisp and linear, with carefully delineated figures and landscape elements that emphasize clarity over painterly texture. Stylistically, the composition adheres to early American genre conventions, arranging hunters and hounds in a balanced frieze-like foreground beneath an expansive Virginia sky.
Figures are rendered with restrained modeling, and the palette is subdued, relying on earth tones punctuated by accents of red and white in clothing to guide the viewer’s eye through the scene.
History & Provenance
The Start of the Hunt was commissioned by Bartholomew Trueheart (1770–1834) of Powhatan County, Virginia, and painted circa 1800. After Trueheart’s death, the work descended through his estate at Selma, which was sold at an unspecified date to Dr. Henderson. Henderson later gifted the painting to Trueheart’s daughter, Martha Armistead, from whom it passed to her daughter Eliza Bolling, then to Eliza’s son Wyndham Bolling, and subsequently to his cousin Wyndham Bolling Blanton of Richmond, Virginia.
Blanton sold the painting in 1948 to collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who donated it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in 1953.
The canvas measures 88.1 cm in height by 139.1 cm in width.
The Start of the Hunt is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it was received as a gift in 1953. The work entered the museum's holdings following its sale in 1948 to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who had acquired it from Wyndham Bolling Blanton of Richmond, Virginia. Prior to the Garbisch purchase, the painting passed through several private Virginia owners, including the Trueheart family and Dr. Henderson.
The provided sources do not contain specific inventory or accession numbers for the work, nor do they document any exhibition history.
Legacy
The work's legacy is anchored by its inclusion in the National Gallery of Art's collection, where it has been part of the institution's holdings since its 1953 gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The painting's provenance reflects a documented chain of ownership from its 1800 creation through multiple generations of the Bolling and Blanton families, as recorded in both the artist's internal provenance and corroborating family histories.
The painting's influence is underscored by its presence in major scholarly references, including Wyndham Bolling Blanton's 1964 family history which confirms earlier ownership details that differ from some earlier accounts. This historical continuity has contributed to its recognition as a significant example of American 19th-century genre painting within the National Gallery's collection.
Overview
The work, titled The Start of the Hunt, is an oil painting on canvas that depicts a group of riders poised to begin a hunt. The composition centres on mounted figures arranged in a line, their horses and attire rendered with careful attention, offering a snapshot of a historical, everyday activity.
Subject & Meaning
The scene captures the moment before a hunt commences, illustrating the social ritual of organized hunting in a past era. By presenting the participants in a state of readiness, the painting reflects themes of communal endeavour, the relationship between humans and animals, and the structured leisure pursuits of the time.
Context
The work belongs to a tradition of genre painting that records quotidian activities of the upper or rural classes. Such images were popular in the 17th–18th centuries, serving both documentary and decorative purposes, and often appealed to patrons who valued depictions of aristocratic pastimes.
Artist & collection
Arabians and Turkoman Horse the property of Sir J. C - - with Persians
To jægere til hest
En jagt af kongelige personer
To jægere til hest
A Groom Leading a Stallion from the Drinking Trough
En jagt af kongelige personer
Military Review with Fath Ali Shah and Abbas Mirza
Portrait of a Horseman
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Horse Market- The End of the Hunt