Description

Title: Sporting Painting Quorn Hunt Tom Firr Up Grey Whitelegs by Basil Nightingale

Description: Large Sporting Masterpiece Painting Title“Hare Seeds Gentlemen! Hare Seeds — With The Quorn Hunt” Believed to Depict Tom Firr Up Whitelegs by Basil Nightingale, signed and dated 1895

A museum-scale, narrative sporting watercolour capturing the authority, precision and social theatre of England’s most prestigious hunt at its late Victorian zenith.

Subject & Medium
Watercolour, gouache and bodycolour heightened with white on paper
Inscribed upper right:
“Hare Seeds Gentleman! Hare seeds!”
(With the Quorn — a sketch from memory)
This finely executed sporting composition depicts the mounted professional huntsman of the Quorn Hunt sounding his horn mid-call while seated upon a powerful grey hunter. The inscription records a traditional cry indicating that the hounds have momentarily taken up the scent of a hare rather than a fox — a subtle but telling interruption within the disciplined order of a fox hunt.
Executed in watercolour enriched with opaque gouache and heightened white, the surface possesses both luminosity and sculptural modelling rarely achieved in sporting works on paper.

Composition & Technique
The composition is architecturally balanced. The rider occupies the exact visual centre — a deliberate assertion of hierarchy consistent with the huntsman’s professional authority within the field.
The grey hunter advances in collected movement, foreleg lifted, weight distributed with anatomical credibility. Nightingale demonstrates deep knowledge of equine structure:
Powerful shoulder articulation
Substantial depth through the girth
Clean cannons and well-defined hocks
Controlled flexion at the poll
The restrained ochre ground functions as a tonal stage, allowing the saturated scarlet coat to command immediate attention. Heightened white bodycolour along the horse’s musculature and the huntsman’s breeches creates dimensional relief, suggesting light falling across open Leicestershire pasture.
The brush handling alternates between fine linear precision in tack and bridle work and broader, confident strokes within the ground plane — reinforcing movement without sacrificing clarity.
At nearly one metre wide in its current presentation, the work possesses commanding decorative authority.

About the Rider & Horse
The figure is strongly believed to represent Tom (Thomas) Firr (1847–1910), professional huntsman to the Quorn and one of the most celebrated hunting figures of the Victorian era.
Firr’s reputation rested upon:
Exceptional command of hounds
Technical horsemanship across demanding pasture country
Calm, disciplined field authority
The grey hunter aligns closely with Firr’s famed horse Whitelegs, with whom he was frequently depicted. Greys were favoured in Leicestershire for visibility across rolling pasture divided by high hedges and timber fences.
The raised horn, erect posture and centred dominance are iconographic signals of the professional huntsman rather than a gentleman rider. While not conclusively documented by name within the inscription, contextual alignment strongly supports this identification.
Historical Significance

The Quorn Hunt, founded in 1696 and based in Leicestershire, was widely regarded as the pinnacle of English fox hunting. By 1895 — the date of this work — the hunt was under the Mastership of the 6th Duke of Rutland, a period often considered one of its great eras. Leicestershire pasture country served as the proving ground of aristocracy, cavalry officers and sporting elites. Hunting in this context functioned as: A demonstration of social hierarchy
A test of horsemanship and breeding also a stage of disciplined ritual. The phrase “Hare Seeds Gentlemen!” captures a fleeting but authentic disruption — hounds diverting to hare scent. The note “a sketch from memory” implies first-hand observation, elevating the painting from decorative sporting study to recorded sporting incident.
Works that document named hunts, identifiable huntsmen and precise field moments occupy a particularly desirable position within British sporting art collecting.

About the Artist
Basil Nightingale was a British painter and illustrator active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, specialising in equestrian, military and sporting subjects.
Professional highlights include:
Contributions to The Graphic
Contributions to The Illustrated London News
Exhibition at London institutions including the Royal Academy
His work reflects the visual language of late Victorian sporting culture — structured hierarchy, disciplined posture, and anatomical precision. Nightingale’s handling of horses is especially respected among collectors for its structural accuracy and compositional restraint.
He developed a consistent following among collectors of British sporting and equestrian art, particularly works associated with named hunts and documented sporting figures.

Signed
Signed and dated lower right:
Basil Nightingale, 1895
The clear signature and firm date anchor the work squarely within Tom Firr’s tenure at the Quorn.

Framed
Recently professionally reframed in a Larson Juhl gilt moulding
Ivory white mount with refined gold slip with Artglass AR70 anti-reflective museum glazing (70% UV protection).
The presentation is museum-standard and investment appropriate. The AR70 glazing dramatically reduces reflection while preserving tonal clarity — allowing the scarlet and grey modelling to read with exceptional crispness under varied lighting conditions.

Size
Sheet: approximately 47 cm x 66 cm
Framed: 99 cm Wide x 80.5 cm High x 4.5 cm Depth
The near-metre width provides significant wall impact — ideal for a library, study, equestrian estate, or formal sporting collection.

Provenance
Private Collection, United Kingdom
Mellors & Kirk, Nottingham – Fine Art, Antiques & Collectors Sale, December 2025
Eastern Shire Antiques Dealers collection
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Private Exhibition, Famous Lord Hill Museum
The exhibition and structured curatorial history enhance collector confidence and market positioning.

Quorn-related works retain enduring appeal among collectors of British hunting art in the United States and internationally.
Particularly desirable attributes present here:
Named hunt of highest prestige
Believed depiction of a documented huntsman
Firm 1895 date within peak tenure
Narrative inscription
Large decorative scale
Museum-grade conservation framing
Such combinations are uncommon in the marketplace.

Why You’ll Love It
Iconic association with the most prestigious hunt in England
Believed portrayal of the legendary Tom Firr
Narrative inscription capturing an authentic hunting cry
Signed and firmly dated 1895
Superb anatomical rendering of a Leicestershire grey hunter
Museum-standard AR70 glazing and professional conservation framing
Exceptional near-metre width for dramatic display
Strong transatlantic appeal for U.S. sporting collectors
Investment-grade provenance and market positioning

Condition Report
The sheet presents in strong, stable condition. Pigments remain vibrant with excellent retention of the scarlet coat and subtle grey modelling. A horizontal handling crease line that runs across the top which has flattened over time.
The work has been professionally reframed using conservation materials. Mount, backing and glazing are recent and clean. Frame shows minimal signs of handling consistent with careful installation.
Full detailed condition report available upon request for qualified collectors.

Reserve: $15,188.00

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Condition

Used

Buyer's Premium

20%

Sporting Painting Quorn Hunt Tom Firr Up Grey Whitelegs by Basil Nightingale

Name: Sporting Painting Quorn Hunt Tom Firr Up Grey Whitelegs by Basil Nightingale
SKU: 231882338
Price: 7500 USD
Availability: InStock