A new work by celebrated sporting artist Daniel Crane was unveiled at a special reception last night to commemorate the bicentennial of the The Meynell Hunt.
The invited guests were benefactors who had contributed to the commissioning of the painting, which was presented by the artist at a ceremony on the Dunstall Estate, near Burton-on-Trent. The twenty donors will each receive a signed and numbered limited edition print of the work.
The painting, entitled, "With land in trust, the fields remain. Two hundred years, our sport retained (away from Peat Moss)", depicts the current Meynell and South Staffordshire Huntsman Jamie Nicklin and hounds hunting across Meynell country, but was specifically painted to be a timeless image which could be representative of any era in the hunt's 200-year history.
Daniel Crane explained. "The painting has been created to celebrate 200 years of the Meynell Hunt, but also to celebrate our green and pleasant land. It depicts a scene which represents hunting, in general, across this bit of country, so that's why we focus on land, hounds and hunt staff who, although they come and go, are always there. Hopefully this will still be a familiar scene in another 200 years."
The original work, which was a year in planning and involved three solid weeks of painting, will be on display on the Daniel Crane stand at The Festival of Hunting at Peterborough on the 20th July.
