"Hunting an Old Buffalo / La Chasse d'un Vieux Buffle"

At the beginning of the 19th century field sports, particularly the hunting of wild game was a popular colonial leisure activity in India and Africa. Large game hunting was thrilling, prestigious and dangerous and only the well heeled could afford to participate in hunts. Captain Williamson was a British officer of the East India Company serving in Bengal. His sketches were translated into drawings by Samuel Howitt and then engraved and hand colored to be included as illustrations in Williamson's two volume work entitled Oriental Field Sports; being a Complete, detailed, and accurate description of the Wild Sports of the East…., published in London in 1807 by Edward Orme. The English artist Howitt was very highly regarded, considered by some to be second only to George Stubbs in the ranks of British animal painters. With forty lavish and richly colored plates this work is one of the most magnificent sporting print books ever published. The plates detail various sporting scenes capturing the excitement of the hunt together with the manners and customs of the native and European. This is a large folio aquatint engraving with full uintrimmed margins, particularly well colored in excellent condition. 

Aquatint engraving with full original hand color,
approx 14 5/8" x 19 1/2" plate mark, 24 1/2" x 29 1/4" outside frame size.
Matted and decoratively framed to museum specifications.