STUBBS, George.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Anatomy of the Horse. First edition, first issue, on laid paper. "This book is a landmark in the history both of anatomy and of art... The fine exactness and austere truth of his engravings give them a timeless beauty" (Ray, p. 6).Stubbs made the drawings for the plates between 1756 and 1759, based on numerous dissections he had performed. When the drawings were finished, Stubbs could find no engraver equal to the task and engraved them himself over the following six years. The work established Stubbs's reputation as the leading animal painter and remained the standard authority on its subject for nearly a century.The letterpress was printed in 1766, but the plates were printed over time - plates watermarked as late as 1827 are known. The earliest copies are on laid paper.The boards from the earlier binding are included; a pencilled note records that the copy was bought at the 1897 sale of the library of John Trumbull (1756–1843), a leading painter of the American Revolution. His portraits were often equestrian, including his famous General George Washington at Trenton.

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