Doe and Hope

Description

The indistinctly signed, P.A Clarke (?), and numbered ‘62’ the hand coloured engraving (?) showing a naively depicted mare and gentleman rider, pictured travelling in a field and sliding off his carriage with a look of alarm, as a flock of gulls pass over head, and humorously entitled ‘A Bad Break’ survives from the first half of the nineteenth century and sits glazed in a partially gilded, probably original, period frame.

The piece is in fair condition with two tears present that are not wholly obvious until close inspection, with an area of discolouration but the whole is still very attractive in its frame and in any case, the picture is charming and funny and that’s what is important here.

We have found other engravings by an I Clarke and published by T McClean in 1820 with a very similar typeface for the title, entitled “A Prize Fight”. It is not clear whether this plate has been extracted from a compilation of similar works.

This is one bad break that wants welcoming into the home, and probably ushering into the downstairs loo, we imagine.