Pair of Chinoiserie Delft plates. England C1760

English Delftware is considered to be one of the most important forms of English ceramic production of the period, and it had a major influence on the development of the British ceramics industry in the centuries that followed. Today, it is highly valued by collectors and is considered to be a fine example of the art of tin-glazed earthenware.

Stag coursing was a sport in which dogs, usually greyhounds, were used to chase and hunt red deer stags. The dogs are usually released from a starting box and are trained to pursue the deer, which are released from a different location and given a head start to ensure a fair chase. The goal of the sport is for the dogs to catch and immobilize the deer, which is typically done by biting and holding onto the deer’s neck. The deer was then humanely dispatched by a huntsman.

Now illegal in most parts, the sport was a survival of a very ancient form of hunting, and this form of hunting is likely the reason why dogs were first domesticated.