Edward Benjamin Herberte, Victorian Circus in the Ring, 1885, Watercolour

An original 1885 watercolour painting, Edward Benjamin Herberte, Victorian Circus ‘In the Ring’.This wonderful 19th-century painting depicting the Victorian circus is one of a pair that we have for sale by Edward Benjamin Herberte (1830–1893). Herberte was prolific and is very well listed as a sporting artist, known for his spirited depictions of hunting and horse racing.Here we witness all the fun of the Victorian circus, as Herberte sites the viewer in the ring, along with his cast of characters: the side-saddle female rider, strongman, clown and ringmaster. The illustrative quality of his art brings the drama to life; and the central clown-turned-ringmaster (who turns his torn paper ring on the real ringmaster) looks out to us and points, as if breaking the fourth wall.The other painting in the pair (see stock number JX-795) is a wonderful complement to this scene and shows the same performers backstage.This circus subject is rare in Herberte’s oeuvre; it evidently allowed the artist to showcase his sensitive treatment of horses and talent for capturing lively narrative and spectacle. Herberte worked as a scenic painter in the 1850s and 1860s (in his native Midlands and Greenwich, London), so was adept at conjuring up atmosphere and a sense of theatricality. The vast majority of his output as an artist was hunting scenes, which also share a performative quality, full of energy and drama. He also on occasions painted horse fairs, such as Windsor Horse Fair in 1887.The popularity of the circus in the second half of the 19th century cannot be overstated. By the 1880s the circus had become an art form that could be enjoyed by all, with huge circuses travelling across Europe and America, and acts had become increasingly extravagant, exotic and bizarre, from human cannonballs to aquatic performances in flooded circus rings. The origins of the modern circus, however, are deeply rooted in horsemanship, and the equestrian stunts performed by Philip Astley at his riding school in 1768. In the early 19th century the horse dramatics would include scenes from the Napoleonic wars. Larger circuses would often announce their arrival in town with a circus parade, the main attraction of which would be dozens of horses. Only later in the century did the range of acts expand to what we know of the circus today.Herberte was one of the first artists to depict women riding in sporting settings. During the mid-19th century, the introduction of improved saddles enabled women to ride sidesaddle across country and over fences, which Herberte newly captured in his sporting scenes. In the present circus subject, Herberte includes a woman seated sideways on horseback—the very inclusion of females in this performance sphere at this time was a challenge to contemporary Victorian ideals of domesticity and feminine propriety.The circus—combining tradition and nostalgia with excitement, dazzle and awe—is a subject that inspired many artists and designers from the late 19th century onwards, including Impressionists Georges Seurat, Renoir and Degas, Walter Sickert, Toulouse-Lautrec, and in the 1920s, Dame Laura Knight. It also developed its own kind of visual iconography in the ubiquitous advertisements that would accompany the Greatest Show on Earth.In watercolour with gum arabic and with touches of white bodycolour. Presented in a smart cream window mount.Provenance: Albany Gallery Collection.All artworks come with a Certificate of Authenticity. Signed: Signed lower left. Inscribed: No. Dated: Dated lower left. Height: 24.5cm (9.6″) Width: 40cm (15.7″) Condition: Some age toning across the sheet. There are two stains on the verso, which have caused some discolouration on the front, to the upper left and lower right corner. There are historic glue remnants to the periphery of the sheet, where a mount has historically been removed. Further small losses to the outer edge of the paper and a repaired tear to the upper edge. These peripheral issues are covered by the mount. Please see photos for detail. Presented: Unframed. Mount: 39.5 x 54.5cm.