"Off to the Meet" | Lionel Dalhousie Robertson Edwards (British, 1878-1966)

LIONEL DALHOUSIE ROBERTSON EDWARDS
British, 1878-1966

"Off to the Meet"

Oil on canvas | signed lower right

25 1/4" H x 29 3/8" W x 1 3/4" D [frame}
20" H x 24" W

Provenance: Bonham's, London, The Sporting Sale, 3 June 2003, lot 82 (achieved 12,925 GBP or approx. $ 21,500 USD at the prevailing exchange rate of 1.67); there acquired for a Private Collection, Maryland

Essay
This painting by Lionel Dalhousie Robertson Edwards depicts a mounted hunt in progress, with a pack of hounds led by two huntsmen in red coats emerging from a wooded path into a sunlit clearing. The riders are shown at close range, advancing directly toward the viewer, creating a sense of movement and immediacy. The hounds, rendered with swift, expressive strokes, fan out across the dirt track, suggesting both urgency and control.

The composition opens up into a broad, green expanse beyond the wooded foreground. In the middle ground, a pair of horses wait along timber fencing, likely belonging to other participants in the hunt. The figures are carefully proportioned and Edwards’ familiarity with equine anatomy is evident in the confident handling of both the mounted and standing horses. The palette leans warm and naturalistic, with high-keyed greens and blues reinforcing the clarity of light typical of a late morning or early afternoon scene.

As with much of Edwards’ work, the image is both a document of rural sport and an expression of its orderly pageantry. There is no dramatization: no pursuit, leap, or quarry, but rather a careful rendering of the organized procession that precedes the chase. This emphasis on structure over spectacle is a hallmark of Edwards’ mature style.

Overall, the painting reflects the artist’s first-hand knowledge of foxhunting, his technical competence in depicting complex groupings, and his interest in portraying the continuity of English rural life. The work would have resonated with collectors drawn to both equestrian culture and the aesthetics of order, tradition, and restraint.

Condition:
In very good original condition. Presents with only the most minimal varnish discoloration. Under UV examination: spot of inpainting to the group of trees on mid-right, specks of touchup here and there. Minor chips and abrasion to the giltwood frame.

Biography
Lionel Dalhousie Robertson Edwards (1878–1966) was one of Britain’s most prolific and skilled sporting artists of the early 20th century, known above all for his watercolors and oils capturing the vitality of the hunt, the elegance of equestrian life, and the rhythms of the rural countryside. Born in Clifton, Bristol, Edwards was raised in North Wales at the family estate of Benarth, where his early exposure to country living fostered both a deep familiarity with horses and a lifelong enthusiasm for foxhunting—subjects that would remain central to his artistic output.

Though initially intended for a military career, Edwards pursued formal artistic training in London, studying under Sir Arthur Stockdale Cope before attending the Heatherley School of Fine Art. He later enrolled at Frank Calderon’s School of Animal Painting, where he refined his understanding of animal anatomy and naturalistic representation. These studies were pivotal in shaping his technical command, particularly in rendering equine movement and structure with convincing accuracy and fluency.

Edwards came of age at a time when illustrated periodicals played a dominant role in British visual culture, and he contributed regularly to publications such as Country Life, The Graphic, The Sphere, and Punch. His illustrations were widely recognized for their immediacy and vitality, qualities that also defined his studio practice. In addition to his work as an illustrator, Edwards was the author of nearly thirty books, many of which explored hunting culture and country sports, including A Leicestershire Sketchbook, The Wiles of the Fox, and his autobiographical Reminiscences of a Sporting Artist.

His involvement in the First World War as a Remount Purchasing Officer provided further insight into equine behavior and form under conditions far removed from the hunt field, and he served alongside fellow sporting artists such as Cecil Aldin and Sir Alfred Munnings. Edwards was elected to the Royal Cambrian Academy in 1926 and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours the following year, affirming his stature within the British art establishment. He exhibited extensively during his lifetime, including solo exhibitions at The Tryon Gallery in London in 1961 and 1964, and posthumously in 1970.

He continued to actively paint until he passed away from a stroke on April 13, 1966 at his home in West Tytherley, Wiltshire, England.

ref. 503LWP17V