unknown artist, eighteenth centuryFormerly George Stubbs, 1724–1806, British
Title:
The Death of the Hare
Date:
between 1760 and 1770
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
60 x 99 inches (152.4 x 251.5 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.267
Gallery Label:
Hunting hares with beagles was a popular pastime among landed gentry in the eighteenth century—far more so than fox hunting, until well into the nineteenth century. Hare hunting reinforced the status of leisured gentlemen and women and their control of property. Beagles were trained never to touch a hare once cornered; the hare might then be spared or slain. Despite the title of this painting, this hare is not dead. Caught between life and death, the exhausted hare stares out waiting for its fate. The attribution of this impressive picture is uncertain, but it has been tentatively associated with the Dublin-based artist Robert Healy, who “delineated [horses] so admirably that he got plenty of employment from those who had favorite hunters, mares or ladies palfreys.” Gallery label for Love, Life, Death, and Desire: An Installation of the Center's Collections (Yale Center for British Art, 2020-11-01 – 2021-02-28)
