Hound Coursing a Stag

British artist George Stubbs painted this dramatic hunting scene around 1762, showing a greyhound pursuing an adult red deer (Cervus elaphus). The composition recalls the grand seventeenth-century hunt paintings of Rubens and Snyders while anticipating the emotional animal subjects Sir Edwin Landseer would later explore.

Stubbs demonstrated both his anatomical accuracy and his flair for drama. Both animals are rendered with precise musculature and movement. The painting measures 100.1 by 125.8 centimeters. Its style bridges classical animal painting and the emerging Romantic sensibility.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired this work in 1984, using the W. P. Wilstach Fund, John D. McIlhenny Fund, and various gifts by exchange. It's currently displayed in Gallery 383 as part of the European Art collection, showcasing Stubbs's mastery of canine and wildlife subjects.