Dimensions: object: 1160 x 2200 x 1080 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Harry Bates’s sculpture, "Hounds in Leash," now residing in the Tate Collections, captures a man struggling to control three powerful dogs. Editor: The dynamism is immediate. The taut lines of the dogs' bodies, the man's straining muscles—it's a study in tension and release. Curator: Absolutely. Bates was active during a time when the British Empire sought to project an image of strength and control, and artworks such as these served to reinforce dominant social structures. Editor: The composition creates an interesting visual flow. The eye is drawn from the hounds' snouts back along their bodies to the figure of the man, only to be pushed forward again. Curator: And it certainly evokes a sense of struggle, reflecting Victorian anxieties about controlling the animalistic aspects of human nature. Editor: It's a compelling piece, really— a dance between form and implied narrative. Curator: Indeed, it provides a glimpse into the socio-political climate of the era.
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The Earl of Wemyss and March commissioned this sculpture in bronze to be placed outside his home, Gosford House in East Lothian, after it was rebuilt. Apart from his interest in field sports, and his career in politics, the Earl was also an amateur sculptor. He and his family were active patrons of modern art. In chosing Bates, he turned to one of the most advanced British sculptors, a former pupil of Dalou and Rodin. Bates, at the end of his short life, was interested in classical subjects, and this athlete echoes models by Michelangelo. It was studied from the life, and one of the Great Danes died while clamped into position. Gallery label, September 2004
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