George Stubbs’ interest in anatomy started early in life. However he is best remembered for his paintings of horses. Having studied their anatomy, Stubbs's pictures of horses are among the most accurate ever painted.
Stubbs was born in Liverpool, the son of a leather worker, and he spent his early career in the north, 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 settled in Lincolnshire, where he researched his major publication, 'The Anatomy of the Horse'. In about 1758 he moved to London, which remained his base.
Stubbs was born in Liverpool, the son of a leather worker, and he spent his early career in the north, 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 settled in Lincolnshire, where he researched his major publication, 'The Anatomy of the Horse'. In about 1758 he moved to London, which remained his base.
Source: www.nationalgallery.org.uk
Published in London, England, AD 1766
This engraving is a plate from George Stubb's The Anatomy of the Horse. It was the first anatomical study of the horse since Carlo Ruini'sDell Anatomia et dell' Infirmita del Cavallo (1598) published over 160 years previously. Stubbs' engravings were far more precise and detailed than Ruini's schematicwoodcuts.
Stubbs was both scientist and artist. He dissected the horse himself, with the aid of Mary Spencer, his partner, in an isolated Lincolnshire farmhouse. As he stripped away the muscles, he made detailed drawings of what he saw. Then, in London, he showed the drawings to engravers experienced in anatomical subjects. They found them difficult to interpret, so Stubbs decided to make the engravings himself. The difficulty that he faced was to show clearly the different textures of vein, muscle and bone using a medium that is essentially 'linear'. He succeeded so well that for over a century the book was the principal guide for veterinarians as well as painters. It also shows the incredible knowledge of his subject that stands at the core of his practice as a painter.
The print shows the side view of the first stage of dissection with just the skin removed.
Source: www.britishmuseum.org
I would consider that Stubbs study of the anatomy of horses through dissecting them step by step would have greatly informed his ability to draw them accurately. To have any understanding of the skeletal and muscle structure of any living subject would help when drawing that subject. Stubbs in -depth understanding of the anatomy of horses though dissecting them himself and recording his findings would have given him a knowledge that would enable him to draw them from life with great accuracy. Knowing what lies under the surface even if it could not be seen by the naked eye when drawing the subject.
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