The Earl of Darlington Fox-Hunting with the Raby Pack: Drawing Cover 1805

Editor: Here we have John Nost Sartorius's, "The Earl of Darlington Fox-Hunting with the Raby Pack: Drawing Cover." It has a real feeling of countryside aristocracy and movement. What are your thoughts on how this painting really places us in the hunt, so to speak? Curator: It’s a window into a world defined by ritual and class, isn’t it? Sartorius, the sporting art maestro, captures more than just a fox hunt; he paints a portrait of power and tradition. Notice how the red coats pop against the landscape. What does that suggest to you? Editor: I guess it really makes the hunters stand out; they become part of the landscape by standing out from it. Curator: Precisely! It is the elite literally writing themselves into the land, a visual claim of ownership. Think of the dogs, too, a carefully bred instrument of the hunt, mirroring the precision of the social hierarchy itself. Editor: So, more than just a hunting scene, it’s a statement. I never thought of it that way. Curator: Art often whispers louder than it shouts, doesn’t it?