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Two cocks with their necks outstretched, facing each other before they fight. The ground is yellow and brown and the background is green. Cockfighting is a blood sport which is hundreds of years old and is traditionally enjoyed by men from many different social backgrounds. It was banned in England and Wales in 1835 for being cruel. Cockfighting still takes place in some parts of the world. Two or more specially bred birds, known as gamecocks, are placed in a fenced space to fight each other, and this usually results in the death of one or both of the birds. This series of four oil paintings shows the stages of a Cockfight. Here, the artist paints in the style of Henry Alken where the violent, or 'sporty' scenes, are depicted in a decorative style rather than realistically.
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Wolverhampton
Title
Cockfighting – Two Cocks Face Each Other
Date
1790
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 30.5 x W 35.5 cm
Accession number
OP155/1
Acquisition method
purchased, 1940
Work type
Painting