“Happy Are They Who Hunt For Their Own Pleasure”

Description

Happy Are They Who Hunt For Their Own Pleasure

….and not to astonish others

by Snaffles

Goutelette, Open Edition Print

Paper Size: 23 x 17 ins (59 x 43 cm )

This wonderful hunting scene shows the field following the hounds in full cry, while elderly and stout members go slowly through a gateway. The remarque shows an overly confident horseman having an embarrassing fall over large timber. The caption Happy are those who hunt for their own pleasure/And not to astonish others is taken from one of the humorous sporting sketches of Robert Smith Surtees (1805-64). Surtees was a constant inspiration to Snaffles, who painted his protagonist, John Jorrocks, more than any other real or imagined character. The title is a good reflection of Snaffles approach to hunting: strongly averse to what he called brag, his attitude was on the whole sensible and conservative. He used the caption on a number of prints, the first being one of his earliest successes in 1912. The print reproduced here was issued in 1926.

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