The Cock Fight, British

Artist unkown

About 1850

Oil on Canvas

76 x 88.5 cm

The vicious sport of cockfighting spread across Britain in the 17^th century, but in 1835 was banned by the Cruelty to Animals Act (although it still remained legal in Scotland until 1895). Secret cockfights still continued, however. In this example, a policeman bursts through the door, truncheon in hand, to stop the illegal fight.

The painting suggests the universality of cock fighting, with different social classes represented by the onlookers.