George Stubbs was an English painter renowned for his masterful depictions of horses and animals, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest sporting artists of the eighteenth century. Born in Liverpool in 1724, Stubbs was largely self-taught and developed a deep fascination with anatomy, spending years studying and dissecting horses to better understand their structure and movement. His groundbreaking publication The Anatomy of the Horse established his reputation for extraordinary accuracy and observation.
Stubbs became highly sought after by aristocratic patrons for his elegant portraits of racehorses, hunting scenes, and country life. His celebrated painting Whistlejacket, now in the National Gallery, remains one of the most iconic equine portraits in art history. Beyond horses, Stubbs also painted exotic animals including lions, tigers, kangaroos, and monkeys, often combining scientific precision with dramatic imagination. His dynamic animal paintings, particularly scenes of lions attacking horses, anticipated the Romantic movement and secured his lasting influence on British art.
