Tygers at Play
Restrike of engraving after George Stubbs
Restrike of engraving after George Stubbs
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George Stubbs (1724-1806) (after)
Tygers at Play
London: 1780 (restruck c. 1974)
Etching on paper
14 3/4 x 18 3/4 inches image
$1,600
Two leopards are shown playing in print by the most famous and accomplished British horse and animal artist of the 18th Century, George Stubbs. The title of the print is Tygers at Play, but at that time, "tigers" referred to leopards and other large wild cats with the exception of lions.
This example is from the original plate, restruck in a limited edition of 175 impressions in 1974 by Ian Bain for Observer Art. The original plate was rediscovered in 1970, and is now in the Tate Gallery.It has been suggested that this image illustrated a passage in Chatterton, The Death of Nicou: An African Eclogue, 1770:
"Where, when the sun is melting in his heat,
The reeking tygers find a cool retreat;
Bask in the sedges, lose the sultry beam
And wanton with their shadows in the stream."
The reeking tygers find a cool retreat;
Bask in the sedges, lose the sultry beam
And wanton with their shadows in the stream."
Stubbs combined science and art by painting his subjects with anatomical precision. Stubbs made extensive studies of horse anatomy, and this knowledge underlies his equine work. A prolific artist, Stubbs frequently painted the prize horses of late 18th century England, often with their proud owners or trainers. He depicted other animals such, as lions, sometimes shown in natural setting with horses. His works are in the world's great museums, with a large number represented in the Yale Center for British Art (Paul Mellon Collection). The greatest printers of the day were engaged to render Stubbs horse pictures as prints, including his own son George Townly Stubbs.
Reference:
Christopher Lennox-Boyd et al., George Stubbs: The Complete Engraved Works, Stipple Publishing Limited, London: 1989. Item 60, pp. 173-74.