Artwork
After a Good Day's Sport
After a Good Day's Sport is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Stephen James Ferris. It is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Stephen James Ferris produced the etching *After a Good Day's Sport* in 1888. Executed as a print, the work captures a moment following a hunt, presenting two exhausted hunters, their dogs, and the game bags they have carried.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts the weariness of the participants: mud‑splattered boots, rumpled clothing, and haggard dogs convey the physical toll of the chase. The quiet tableau suggests a pause for rest and reflection after the exertion of the hunt.
Technique & Style
Ferris employs delicate, precise lines to render the interplay of light and shadow across the figures and terrain. The rendering is crisp, yet the overall atmosphere remains subdued, allowing the viewer to sense the lingering calm of the post‑hunt scene.
Context
Created in the late nineteenth century, the work aligns with the period’s interest in rural sport and the realistic portrayal of everyday labor. As an etching, it demonstrates the medium’s capacity for fine detail while maintaining the tonal subtlety characteristic of Ferris’s printmaking.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
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