Hay-Makers
1791
Medium
Stipple engraving, with roulette, on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 48.4 × 68.5 cm (19 1/16 × 27 in.); Sheet: 53.7 × 71.3 cm (21 3/16 × 28 1/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
153801
Art Historical Context
George Stubbs' *Hay-Makers* (1791), housed in the Art Institute of's Prints and Drawings department offers a vivid glimpse into 18th-century British rural life. The celebrated animal painter, known for his meticulous anatomical studies of horses and wildlife, turns his keen eye to haymakers at work in the fields. This large-scale image—nearly 19 by 27 inches—evokes the harmony of human labor and nature, characteristic of Stubbs' Enlightenment-era fascination with the natural world and scientific precision. Crafted as a stipple engraving with roulette on luxurious ivory laid paper, the work sh...
About the Artist
George Stubbs · 1724–1806
Stubbs was a popular painter of horses and dogs who enjoyed many commissions in London throughout the second half of the 18th century. He was elected R.A. in 1781, but this title was removed as he declined to submit a diploma picture. Comment on works: Animals, Sporting