# Bare Knuckles

**George A. Hayes** (American)  
c. 1870/1885  
oil on paperboard on wood  
overall: 30.5 x 48.6 cm (12 x 19 1/8 in.)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980.62.9. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.59902.html).

## About this work

George A. Hayes painted this in about 1870/1885. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

### What you’re looking at

This is a painting depicting a bare-knuckle boxing match with two fighters in a ring surrounded by a crowd. Both fighters are men with light skin, and they wear no shirts. The fighter on the left wears orange pants with black dots, while the fighter on the right wears red pants with white dots. Behind these men are two other shirtless men wearing the same types of pants, as well as two other men wearing more formal attire, including jackets, vests, and hats. Outside the ring, a semi-circle of light-skinned men in formal attire watch the central fight. The setting is outdoors, with grass around the feet of the spectators and green hills in the background. Above the group, the sky is light gray.

_Description from the National Gallery of Art._

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [George A. Hayes](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/george-a-hayes)

American

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Real size: about 12 × 19 in (31 × 49 cm). The 16 × 20 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: sports, Boxing
- Colour: olive
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1596.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1596/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/bare-knuckles-nga-59902).