Hunting, in the context of antiques and country house interiors, refers to the field sports of the British countryside, such as fox hunting, stag hunting, shooting and hare coursing, and to the rich material culture they have produced. For centuries hunting was central to the social life of landed estates, shaping architecture, interiors and the decorative arts.
The subject is reflected in sporting paintings by artists such as John Wootton, George Stubbs and John Ferneley, in coloured sporting prints after Henry Alken and others, and in a vast range of objects including hunting horns, stirrup cups, whips, saddlery, gun cases, game bags, trophies and taxidermy. Country houses often had gun rooms, boot rooms and halls decorated with antlers and hunting scenes, and furniture such as hunt tables and boot racks served the hunting household. Motifs of hounds, horses, foxes and game birds appear on silver, ceramics, textiles and carved woodwork. Today these pieces are collected for their craftsmanship and social history, and they remain a defining element of the traditional British country house look, bringing character to halls, studies, libraries and boot rooms.
