A late Victorian wood engraving depicting the "Darley Arabian Charger from Syria," sourced from Samuel Sidney's celebrated publication *The Book of the Horse* (circa 1880). The print features a highly detailed profile of the legendary stallion standing in a pastoral landscape, annotated below with an extensive numbered anatomical key titled "Terms Used in Horsemanship."

Framing & Provenance

• Subject / Sitter / Source: The Darley Arabian, from Samuel Sidney's *The Book of the Horse*
• Artist / Maker / Author: Samuel Sidney (author), published by Cassell & Company
• Period: Victorian (circa 1880)
• Origin: England
• Material / Technique: Wood engraving on paper
• Frame: Glazed wooden frame with a gilt inner slip and a dark grey mat
• Markings: Titled "DARLEY ARABIAN CHARGER FROM SYRIA" along the upper margin; lower margin features a numbered anatomical key titled "TERMS USED IN HORSEMANSHIP"
• Retailer / Dealer label: Reverse bears a handwritten dealer label reading "c.1880. / SIDNEY'S 'BOOK OF THE HORSE' / WOOD ENGRAVING. FAIRLY SCARCE" and a printed gallery label for "Antique Map & Print Gallery, 61 Sidbury, Worcester WR1 2HU"
• Condition: Print shows minor age-toning and light foxing consistent with age; frame backing paper is torn along the top edge, but the frame and hanging chain remain sturdy and intact

History

Samuel Sidney’s *The Book of the Horse*, first published by Cassell & Company in the late 1870s and 1880s, remains one of the most comprehensive and beautifully illustrated Victorian encyclopedias on equine care, breeding, and history. The Darley Arabian, purchased in Aleppo, Syria, in 1704 by Thomas Darley, is legendary as one of three foundation stallions of the modern Thoroughbred breed. Wood engravings of this caliber were highly valued in late 19th-century Britain, serving both an aesthetic and educational purpose for equestrian enthusiasts.