Horse Devoured by a Lion
- Artist: George Stubbs
- Date: ?exhibited 1763
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 692 x 1035 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Horse Devoured by a Lion” by George Stubbs, an oil on canvas from 1763 that captures the moment a lion sinks its teeth into a terrified horse. The background is the limestone cliffs of Creswell Crags in the Peak District, a rugged landscape that amplifies the drama. Stubbs, who studied caged lions at the Tower of London, brings uncanny anatomical precision to both animals. His fascination with the “lion and horse” theme spanned over thirty years, resulting in at least seventeen paintings. This particular work shows the horse collapsed to its knees, a rare dramatic climax in the series. The painting’s emotional intensity and narrative clarity helped elevate animal painting to the realm of history painting, making viewers feel the awe and terror of facing untamed nature. Stubbs’s choice of landscape, coupled with his detailed study of the lion’s musculature, creates a powerful sense of immediacy. The piece originally appeared in the Society of Artists exhibition in 1763, marking it as one of the earliest examples of this intense, mythic encounter on canvas.
See it in person
Horse Devoured by a Lion is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
