'A Grey Hunter with a Groom and a Greyhound at Creswell Crags', George Stubbs

Artwork details

Artist

George Stubbs (1724‑1806)

Title

A Grey Hunter with a Groom and a Greyhound at Creswell Crags

Date c.1762-4

MediumOil paint on canvas

Dimensionssupport: 445 x 679 mm frame: 620 x 855 x 110 mm

Collection

Tate

Acquisition Purchased 1895

Reference

N01452

Not on display

Summary

The grey horse in this picture presumably belongs to a nobleman or gentleman. Its stocky build and short legs make it ideally suited to follow the greyhound in pursuit of the hare over the rocky moorland terrain. The man's costume of dark blue coat with red collar and red buttonholes suggests that he is a groom on duty, wearing the livery of a servant of some now unidentified owner. The animals are depicted in typically lively manner, the greyhound's natural curiosity engaging the horse's attention in a sort of animal 'conversation piece'.

The setting is Creswell Crags, Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire border where, it has been suggested, Stubbs witnessed the scene depicted here (Egerton p.103)… (read more)