Horse Frightened by a Lion

'The Horse Frightened by a Lion is perhaps not everyone's instinctive idea of a horse painting by Stubbs. This horse - not just frightened, but in mortal fear - is very different from the well-groomed creatures in most of Stubbs's racing scenes. Stubbs invites us instead to imagine that the horse and lion exist in a timeless state of nature, and in an uncivilised landscape; in this state, the horse is the natural prey of the lion, and the only law is the law of nature: the survival of the stronger.' Extract of an article in the 1994 Review written by Judy Egerton. This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.