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Boxing Match for 200 Guineas, Betwixt Dutch Sam and Medley Fought 31 May 1810, on Moulsey Hurst Near Hampton

June 5, 1810
Not on view
Two boxers face each other on the turf, each accompanied by a second, with bottlemen seated at lower left and right. The ring is formed by densely packed male spectators with a few women shown standing at the back on the roofs of coaches. "Dutch Sam" was a Jewish pugilist from Holland who remained unbeaten until December 1814. This match took place on May 31, 1810, went 49 rounds, and lasted 52 minutes before Ben Medley was defeated. In the years that followed the French Revolution, British boxing and Spanish bullfighting rose to new prominence as demonstrations of individual skill and courage, replacing armored princely pageants.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Boxing Match for 200 Guineas, Betwixt Dutch Sam and Medley Fought 31 May 1810, on Moulsey Hurst Near Hampton
  • Artist: Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London)
  • Publisher: Thomas Tegg (British, London 1776–1846 London)
  • Subject: Samuel Elias (Dutch, 1775–1816)
  • Subject: Ben Medley (British, active 1810)
  • Published in: London
  • Date: June 5, 1810
  • Medium: Hand-colored etching
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 9 13/16 × 13 5/8 in. (25 × 34.6 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
  • Object Number: 59.533.1211
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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