Antique Equestrian Prints
Antique equestrian prints capture horses, riders and racing in framed works of paper on wood and glass.
What antique equestrian prints are
Antique equestrian prints comprise framed works on paper, card and cardboard depicting horses, racing, hunting and jockeys. These pieces span the eighteenth century, Georgian era, Victorian period and late nineteenth century.
The selections include sets of copper engravings, aquatints, hand-coloured plates and lithographs. Buyers encounter French and English examples, ranging from single portraits to complete sets of four, five or six framed works.
Framed art forms the primary presentation here, utilising burr wood veneer, gilt wood, gold leaf and simple wood frames. Subjects cover horse racing scenes, hunting moments and individual jockey portraits.
What varies in quality
Quality rests upon the crispness of the original plate impression and the skill of any hand-colouring applied to the paper. Complete sets maintain higher desirability than partial groupings or single prints.
The quality of the framing materials, such as burr wood veneer and gilt wood with gold leaf, separates standard works from more decorative presentations. The clarity of the print work and the preservation of the paper surface dictate overall visual strength.
Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical UK retail prices for equestrian prints, calculated from the Sellingantiques database of over a million retail prices indexed since 2003. This retail price guide relies exclusively on Sellingantiques data; no external sources or auction records are used, so the figures do not describe the wider market.
Current listings feature paper prints in wood, gilt wood, and burr wood veneer frames from the 18th century, Georgian, Victorian, and 19th-century periods.
George Finch Mason·Ridinger·Victor Adam
The Antique Equestrian Prints Glossary
- Aquatint
- An intaglio printmaking technique that produces areas of tone resembling watercolours. This method creates the atmospheric shading seen in nineteenth-century racing scenes.
- Copper engraving
- A process where an artist cuts a design directly into a copper plate with a burin. Prints pulled from these plates yield fine, precise lines.
- Lithograph
- A planographic printing method based on the repulsion of oil and water. Artists draw directly onto a limestone block or metal plate to achieve fluid illustrative results.
- Hand-coloured
- The application of watercolours by hand to a printed monochrome base. This technique enhances specific details within eighteenth-century and Georgian plates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What periods do these prints cover?
The listings span from the eighteenth century and the Georgian era through to the Victorian period and the late nineteenth century. Works include pieces dated across the 1760s, 1850, 1851, 1880, 1890 and 1900.
English and French publishing traditions both appear within these dates, showing distinct stylistic developments in sporting art over two centuries.
How are these prints normally framed?
Framing materials include plain wood, burr wood veneer, gilt wood and gold leaf, paired with glass to protect the paper. Many examples arrive ready to hang as matched sets.
The frames often reflect the period of the artwork or later Victorian framing conventions utilised to preserve and display delicate paper and card.
Do these prints come in sets?
Yes, many listings comprise matched sets of prints, such as groups of three, four, five or six framed works. These sets often depict sequential racing moments or themed subjects.
Collecting complete sets preserves the original publishing format intended by the printmakers and publishers of the era.
What subjects feature in the prints?
Subjects focus on horse racing, hunting, jockeys and equine studies. Scenes capture specific racing events, humorous racing moments and formal portraits.
Artists such as Ridinger and Victor Adam recorded both sporting action and classical equine forms suited for interior decoration.