The Chase
December 1, 1791
Medium
Hand-colored etching and aquatint
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 10 5/16 × 14 15/16 in. (26.2 × 37.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.447
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
"The Chase," created in December 1791 by Thomas Rowlandson in collaboration with publisher James Sibbald, captures the excitement of an English fox hunt. This lively scene features men on horseback accompanied by eager hounds, reflecting the popularity of hunting as both sport and social ritual among the British gentry during the late Georgian era. Rowlandson, renowned for his witty and fluid drawings of everyday life, infused such prints with energy and gentle satire. The work is a hand-colored etching and aquatint, a technique that allowed artists to produce affordable, colorful images for a growing middle-class audience. Aquatint provided tonal washes resembling watercolor, while hand-coloring added vibrancy to the horses, riders, and landscape. Measuring just over 10 by 14 inches, the print was designed for easy display in homes, making fine art accessible beyond elite collectors. Today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, "The Chase" offers a charming window into 18th-century British sporting culture and the innovative printmaking that helped spread Rowlandson’s distinctive vision across society.
About the Artist
James Sibbald|Thomas Rowlandson (British, Scottish|British) · 1747 |1757 –1803 |1827
British, Whitlaw, Roxburghshire, Scotland 1747–1803 Edinburgh|British, London 1757–1827 London