Kent vs Lancashire at Canterbury
| Kent vs Lancashire at Canterbury | |
|---|---|
Kent vs Lancashire at Canterbury, 1906
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| Artist | Albert Chevallier Tayler |
| Year | 1907 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Subject | A cricket match between Kent and Lancashire at the St Lawrence Ground |
| Dimensions | 114 cm × 228.5 cm (45 in × 90 in) |
| Location | Lord's Pavilion, Lord's Cricket Ground, London |
| Owner | Andrew Brownsword Art Foundation |
Kent vs Lancashire at Canterbury is an oil on canvas painting by Albert Chevallier Tayler completed in 1907. It was commissioned by the Kent County Cricket Club at the suggestion of chairman Lord Harris to celebrate their first County Championship title win. Tayler painted the picture after taking individual sittings with each of the Kent players. With the exception of short-term loans, the painting remained at the St Lawrence Ground until 1999, at which time it was moved to the Lord's Pavilion as the Kent Club could no longer afford the insurance. In 2006, Kent sold the painting to a charity foundation at an auction. The piece is currently on display at Lord's Cricket Ground in London.
Kent County Cricket Club won the 1906 County Championship, gaining 78% of the points available in their completed matches, above the 70% achieved by second-place Yorkshire County Cricket Club. This was Kent's first victory since the County Championship had been instituted in 1890. At a celebratory dinner in London, the Kent chairman, George Harris, 4th Baron Harris, suggested that the club commission a painting to celebrate the championship victory.
Kent selected Albert Chevallier Tayler as the artist; he had earlier painted Lord Harris batting for Kent in 1905. Tayler was paid 200 guineas by Kent for the painting, with an additional royalty for reproductions that could bring the total as high as 350 guineas.
Lord Harris expressed his view that the painting should show an action shot of a match at the St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury, and suggested that the bowler in the painting should be Kent's Colin Blythe. Kent had only played three matches at Canterbury during the 1906 season; of those it was decided that the subject of the painting would be Kent's match against Lancashire County Cricket Club. That match was part of the Canterbury Cricket Week, and Blythe had taken eight wickets, making it the most appropriate of the three fixtures to depict. Tayler decided that he would show the second day of the match, at an hour prior to lunchtime.
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