The Foxy Cavalier - After Franz Hals Sculpture

This piece is part of an exhibition, Getting Under the Skin, currently showing at the Westminster Arts Reference Library situated in London’s West End just behind the National Gallery. The show features 10 famous works of art reimagined by Field and Young as taxidermy tableaux to reflect the Library’s vast art and design collection. The portrait of an unknown gentleman painted by Dutch artist Franz Hals in 1624 did not acquire its nickname “The Laughing Cavalier” until it was displayed in London 250 years later. This was ironic considering that the subject is neither laughing nor is he a cavalier. Today the portrait hangs in London’s Wallace collection. The piece is here re-conceived as an enigmatically smiling fox. Its clothes are handmade from embroidered velvet and silk from a shop on Turnpike Lane. The hat is crafted from felt. The identity of the subject of Hals’s portrait is unknown, however the fox in Field & Young’s tribute was roadkill, found by Eliot Young on a motorbike trip on Thanet Way in Kent. Just like the original, its eyes seem to follow you around the room.

Multi-paneled Sculpture:Taxidermy on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:27.5 W x 27.5 H x 7.9 D in

Number of Pieces:2

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.