A lion attacking a horse

Stubbs employs a strong chiaroscuro, using contrasts of light and shadow to model the muscular forms and heighten the sense of motion. The rendering of fur and mane demonstrates his anatomical precision, while the soft, diffused sky and distant trees provide depth, characteristic of the Rococo’s lighter palette yet grounded in realistic observation.

Although Stubbs worked apart from the leading academies of his day, he earned a reputation for meticulous animal studies through his own anatomical investigations. This 1765 painting entered the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, where it remains part of the institution’s holdings of 18th‑century British art.

The piece belongs to the mid‑18th‑century Rococo period, a time when British artists were increasingly interested in natural history and scientific illustration. Stubbs’s focus on a dramatic wildlife encounter aligns with contemporary curiosity about animal behavior, while his independent approach set him apart from the more formal portrait and historical painters of his era.