Beautifully carved, the cylindrical tapering
tamper surmounted by a greyhound
with dramatically arched back and
articulated ribs, the graceful tail curled around the left back leg,
capturing the recumbent hare at his feet
Greyhounds are a combination of unimaginable agility, grace and
elegance, with tremendous speed and power.
While
most of their time is resting quietly at the closest proximity they can manage to their owner,
their greatest pleasure is running - chasing -
anything from butterflies to squirrels to - yes - cute
sweet hares.
As they are “sight hounds”,
the rest of the world simply disappears until the chase
is over - e
ither by clever escape of the hunted, or
triumph of the hound.
“Coursing” - a sport with greyhounds chasing live
rabbits by sight rather than scent -
became popular
during the 16th century.
It was - and remains - a sport valued more for
the contest of the race than the catch.
It
is with pleasure that we offer this 200+ year-old pipe
tamper, carved as a greyhound,
probably at the end of a coursing race,
lifting the
prize he or she may have bettered to present to his or
her owner as a gift
Condition : Excellent
Provenance : With Alistair Sampson
Antiques Ltd., London, 1996
3-3/8” High
SOLD
#6366
Please Inquire
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