Reapers
1791
Medium
stipple and roulette on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 48.26 × 68.58 cm (19 × 27 in.), trimmed to platemark
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Purchased as the Gift of the Krugman Family Foundation Fund and Anonymous Donor
Accession Number
2021.102.1
Art Historical Context
George Stubbs's *Reapers* (1791) captures the essence of rural British life in the late 18 century through a masterful print executed in stipple and roulette on paper. Renowned for his precise anatomical studies of horses and wildlife, Stubbs (1724–1806) here turns his keen eye to human figures engaged in the harvest, evoking the timeless rhythm of agrarian labor amid the Enlightenment era's fascination with nature and industry. Measuring 19 × 27 inches and trimmed to the platem, this work exemplifies Stubbs's late-career experimentation with printmaking, allowing broader access to his detaile...
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