Mares and Foals in a River Landscape
- Artist: George Stubbs
- Date: c.1763–8
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 1016 x 1619 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Mares and Foals in a River Landscape” by George Stubbs, painted around 1763–68. It’s an oil on canvas that was likely intended as an ‘overdoor’—hung above the dining room doors in the house of George Brodrick, 3rd Viscount Midleton, MP. Stubbs, the leading animal painter of his era, didn’t aim for radical innovation here; the horses are the same figures that appear in a commission for Lord Rockingham, with a simple colour tweak on one. The composition is deliberately classical: the three mares, each with a foal, are arranged in a balanced, frieze‑like sequence, their heads pointing toward the centre to draw the eye across the canvas. The river and modest tree in the background give the scene a quiet, pastoral mood while keeping the focus on the equine subjects. It’s a fine example of Stubbs’ anatomical precision and his ability to blend natural observation with a structured, harmonious design.
See it in person
Mares and Foals in a River Landscape 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.
