‘Hunting is who we are’

LOCKDOWN blues: a long time out of saddles and away from hounds. The sporting art on our walls nostalgically reminds us of all we are missing. But, as that clock ticks away, can that same art provide a looking-glass into who we are?

Here is a little art trip, if you like, that comes from the soils of West Dorset, passing over the meanders of the chase of our forebears. Let me share with you some art that reflects not only on a practical image of a hunt, but also explores the purpose of its creation, and what it might say of our morality and character. To get in the picture, it helps to understand the historical context.

We can trace the symbiotic relationship of man and dog over 20,000 years. We tamed horses about 6,000 years ago, and thereby added the second dimension. Historians view the earliest art on cave walls, depicting hunting with dogs, to play a part in a ritual of “hunting magic” conjuring an abundance in prey, for these early hunter-gatherers.

“The caught