Artwork
The Chase
The Chase is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Thomas Rowlandson. It dates from 1787 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower center in plate: THE CHASE; lower right in plate: Pubd. as the Act directs Marh.16. 1787 by J.Harris No.37 Dean Street Soho.;upper center verso in graphite: 36681 (4; lower left verso in graphite, cir cled: 3306
About this work
Overview
The Chase is a hand-colored etching and aquatint print created by Thomas Rowlandson in 1787 on J. Whatman paper. Characteristic of Rowlandson's style, it combines humor with detailed observation of contemporary life.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a frenetic horseback chase through a rural landscape, with one rider holding a fox and the other in pursuit with a rifle. This scene reflects the popular 18th-century hunting tradition, which served as both a sport and a display of skill and social status.
Technique & Style
Executed in Rowlandson's distinctive robust and often bawdy caricature style, The Chase features bold lines and vibrant hand coloring, typical of satirical prints of the Georgian Era.
History & Provenance
Part of a series satirizing upper-class leisure activities, The Chase is one of several works by Rowlandson held in collections such as the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 1757 – 21 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation.
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