Artwork
A Horse Frightened by a Lion
A Horse Frightened by a Lion is a print by the Romanticist artist George Stubbs. It dates from 1777 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
A Horse Frightened by a Lion is a 1777 print by George Stubbs, an English artist known for his detailed depictions of animals.
Subject & Meaning
The etching depicts a tense encounter between a rearing white horse and a crouching lion, set against a dark, rocky forest background. The scene conveys a sense of drama and fear.
Technique & Style
Stubbs employed strong contrasts between light and dark, a technique known as chiaroscuro, to heighten the drama of the scene. The horse's tense muscles are rendered with anatomical precision.
Context
This work is part of Stubbs' series exploring the lion-horse encounter, which contributed to the development of the Romantic movement in late 18th-century art.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
George Stubbs (25 August 1724 – 10 July 1806) was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses.
The Third Duke of Dorset's Hunter with a Groom and a Dog
Captain Samuel Sharpe Pocklington with His Wife, Pleasance, and possibly His Sister, Frances
White Poodle in a Punt
Lion and Lioness
Sportsmen at Rest
Horse Devoured by a Lion
Truss, A Hunter
Joseph Smyth Esq, Lieutenant of Whittlebury Forest, Northamptonshire, on a dapple grey horse
