Stubbs: Portrait of a Horse

12 March – 31 May 2026
The H J Hyams Room (Room 1)
Admission free

A monumental painting of a rearing horse will go on display this spring, in a new National Gallery exhibition devoted to George Stubbs (1724–1806).

The only life-size horse portrait by Stubbs still in a private collection, and only once before seen on public display, 'Scrub, a bay horse belonging to the Marquess of Rockingham' (about 1762) will be joined in the exhibition by other paintings and works on paper by the artist.

Visitors will be able to draw comparisons with the artist’s masterpiece Whistlejacket (about 1762), in the National Gallery’s collection, which will be on display nearby in Room 34. The two equine portraits were painted in the same year for the Marquess of Rockingham (1730–82), who owned both of these former racehorses.

These two paintings are the first large as life portraits of horses depicted without a rider in British art and show how in the second half of the 18th century Stubbs would change equine painting for future generations through his keen observation and anatomical studies.

Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, was a keen collector of antique sculpture and active in horse breeding and horse racing. He became Prime Minister from 1765 to1766 and again briefly in 1782 just prior to his death. He was introduced to Stubbs likely through Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792).

'Whistlejacket' was to be the basis for a commissioned portrait of George III (who had succeeded to the throne in October 1760) to hang in the Great Hall at Wentworth Woodhouse, as a pendant to an equestrian portrait of George II. Once the portrait of Whistlejacket was completed, it was deemed so striking that the Marquess of Rockingham (possibly with Stubbs) decided it should remain without a rider or background. It is recorded that Rockingham then resolved to have another picture painted for the purpose of introducing the king, and Stubbs began a fresh painting with the bay colt Scrub as the subject. The Marquess of Rockingham would subsequently decide not to purchase the painting of Scrub, perhaps abandoning his plans for a portrait of George III following resignation from his post as Lord of the Bedchamber in 1762. The artist retained the picture, some twenty years later selling it to William Wynne Ryland (1738–1783), a picture dealer, engraver and forger who tried – unsuccessfully – to have it sold in India. Damaged at sea, the painting was returned to Stubbs and was sold in the studio sale after his death.

The exhibition will focus on the creation of Scrub, and will contextualise the commission through two significant projects undertaken by the artist in which the horse is the subject.

The first would see him develop an unprecedented level of knowledge about the anatomy of the horse and establish his skills in the depiction of these animals, shortly before Scrub was made. Between 1756 and 1758, Stubbs spent 18 months studying and drawing the anatomy of horses in a remote barn in Horkstow, Lincolnshire where he would carry out meticulous dissections. He carefully removed layers of skin and muscle, recording every minute detail as he went. The most thorough study undertaken on the anatomy of horses for almost a hundred years, it resulted in the greatest images of the subject ever recorded in Britain. The exhibition will include Stubbs’s finished treatise 'The Anatomy Of The Horse, (Including A particular Description of the Bones, Cartilages, Muscles, Fascias, Ligaments, Nerves, Arteries, Veins, and Glands. In Eighteen Tables, all done from Nature)' (1766) and six original working drawings and finished studies - all lent by the Royal Academy of Arts.

The second group of works introduced in the exhibition, The Turf Project, came towards the end of the artist’s career, and reflects how closely Stubbs had become associated with paintings of racehorses. Around 1790, Stubbs was approached by an anonymous patron to create a series of portraits of the most famous racehorses in Britain, to chronicle 50 years of racing history. It would include portraits of horses like Eclipse and Gimcrack. Many would be copies of his earlier work, while others would be new creations. The project was ultimately abandoned due to a loss of funding, though 16 paintings were completed and exhibited in 1794 at the Turf Gallery in Conduit Street. Engravings were also made for 'A Review of the Turf' in two sizes by the artist’s son. Two paintings relating to this series ('Dungannon, with a Lamb', 1793; and 'Mambrino', 1779/ or 1793?, Private Collection) will be shown in the exhibition.

As a result of his endeavours, Stubbs’s pictures of horses are among the most accurate ever painted, but he took artistic licence in his finished paintings to reflect the character of individual horses and to create impactful final works which transcend pure naturalism. Stubbs would achieve great renown and build a successful career through his depictions of horses and other animals.

Dr Mary McMahon, Associate Curator (NG200 Collections), says ’Stubbs fundamentally changed the approach to depicting the horse in late 18th-century British art, combining his hard-earned knowledge and understanding of their anatomy with a desire to capture a distinct individual character.’

More information at nationalgallery.org.uk

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The H J Hyams Exhibition Programme
Supported by The Capricorn Foundation

Exhibition supported by

Paddy and Janie Dear

And other donors

Notes to editors

Press view: Tuesday 10 March 2026

Image

X12858
George Stubbs
'Scrub, a bay horse belonging to the Marquess of Rockingham'
About 1762
Oil on canvas
268 x 244.5 cm
Private Collection
© Private Collection. Photo: The National Gallery, London

George Stubbs (1724–1806)

George Stubbs is best remembered for his paintings of horses and his conversation pieces. Having studied anatomy, Stubbs's pictures of horses are among the most accurate ever painted, but his work is lyrical and transcends naturalism.

Stubbs was born in Liverpool, the son of a currier (leather worker), and he spent his early career in the north of England, painting portraits and developing his interest in anatomy. In the later 1740s he lived in York and supplied the illustrations for a treatise on midwifery. Following a brief visit to Rome in 1754 he had returned to England by the following year. From 1756 to1758 he settled in Lincolnshire, where he dissected horses and made drawings that would later be published in his major treatise, 'The Anatomy of the Horse' (1766). By 1759 he had moved to London, which remained his base for the rest of his life.

Early clients for his sporting and racing paintings included many of the noblemen who founded the Jockey Club. Like Gainsborough, he later painted scenes of peasant life, as well as studies of wild and exotic animals. He also became known as a printmaker and for his paintings in enamel on Wedgwood earthenware plaques.

The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Bellini, Cezanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to care for and enhance the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission free. 

Also on display at the National Gallery at the same time:

Wright of Derby: From the Shadows (7 November 2025 – 10 May 2026)

Zurbarán (2 May – 23 August 2026)

For more information

National Gallery Press Office email press.external@nationalgallery.org.uk 
Publicity images can be obtained from https://press.nationalgallery.org.uk/