George Stubbs Equestrian Portraits

There is perhaps one thing that comes to mind with the mention of the artist George Stubbs which would be the horse.  Like Monet with his flowers, Stubbs' had a fascination with his four-legged muses, and he was in good company.  Many aristocrats (the same people who commissioned his paintings) shared Stubbs' love of horses and requested their prize stallions and mares be immortalized.  Anyone who has visited the National Gallery in London can't miss Stubbs' portrait of Whistlejacket, the Marquess of Rockingham's prized racehorse, painted against a neutral background in order to not take away from the beauty of the horse.  The painting is placed at the end of the gallery so you see it from far away, adding more majesty to the stallion and more credit to Stubbs' talent.

Stubb's talent was not limited to horses, or even the many cherished pets he portrayed.  Overall, he was fantastic at portraying nature and his sitters' relationship to nature.  Those who commissioned Stubbs for portraits were the aristocrats who tended to trade city life and the gaming tables for their majestic country estates.  Portraits of sitters riding about their property do two essential things: prove the sitter is in touch with nature and display their wealth by portraying their ability to own thoroughbreds and large vasts of land.

Joseph Smyth Esquire, Lieutenant of Whittlebury Forest, Northamptonshire, on a Dapple Grey Horse, c.1762-64

Countess of Conings by Livery of Charlton, c1760

Laetitia, Lady Lade, 1793

John and Sophia Musters riding at Colwick Hall, 1777 

William Anderson with Two Saddle-Horses, 1793

Baron De Robeck Riding A Bay Hunter, 1791

Self-Portrait, 1782

Stubbs' lack of formal training adds a sense of folk art to the portrayals which make them all the more charming and appropriate to hang in those country homes.  Although there is a sense of portraying the animal perfectly, which is lost on other aspects of the painting, that same painstaking skill is used in rendering the sitter's face.  The true joy of painting can be seen in the background, in which Stubbs used a whole different technique in order to capture the landscape.  His ability to capture all these varying elements easily transforms viewers into the work. I particularly enjoy his equestrian portraits because you feel as if you could just ride away into the painting with the sitters.

Tart of the Week: Lady Letitia Lade

Doesn't her name alone just send the message that Letitia was no saint? We can't be sure of the true origins of Letitia, or even what her true name really was. We can infer that she came from humble origins which led her to employment in seedy London as a servant in a brothel. It is here that the young Letitia met the first of her movie-worthy lovers, John Rann. Rann was a dashing highwayman, and we know how irresistible those can be! But bad boys are never good for the long haul. Sixteen String Jack was captured and sentenced to death in 1774. Not one to go down without a show, he came out in a custom green suit, joked around with the executioner and crowd, then danced a jig before he was dropped through the floor. Letitia recovered from her loss and moved on from her romantic bad boy to a rich aristocrat, the Duke of York.

Climbing the social ladder proved to work out well for Letitia. Her connections with the Duke helped her form even more. Soon she was modeling for Reynolds under the name of "Mrs. Smith," the portrait of which was exhibited at the 1785 Royal Academy exhibition. Knowing that a son of the king would eventually tire of her, Letitia began to set her sights on his (and Rann's) friend, the Baronet, Sir John Lade. John was rich, fun, good looking, and friends with the Prince of Wales so he was the perfect target for Letitia. He was was a true horseman, one of the best riders and drivers at the time. He was so into it, that he was constantly wearing his riding gear and even insisted on carrying a whip on his person all the time. No wonder Letitia was interested! She won John over with her own natural horsemanship. Here was a beautiful, vivacious, and slightly dangerous woman who shared his love of the sport. Perhaps he could hone her riding skills and maybe even tame her as well? Their affair lasted quite a while and was scoffed at by his family before John made Letitia "Derby" a honest woman, when he married her in 1787.

I imagine the marriage was actually a fun one. The two were so similar in their tastes. When John's friend, the Prince took interest in Letitia, the two seemed to enjoy the game of his pursuit (The Prince even commissioned Stubbs to paint her portrait). Unfortunately, they also had similar spending habits and were commonly in financial turmoil. Letitia relished her new place among the aristocracy while they, in turn, found her a bit course. Her casual cursing was overwhelming to many and began the phrase, "he swears like Letty Lade!" Her carnal past also was a hot topic and she was said to, "withstand the fiercest assault and renew the charge with renovated ardour, even when her victim sinks dropping and crestfallen before her," and that she never "turned her back against the most vigorous assailant."

In the saddle, Letitia proved to be just as reckless and daring as her expert husband. He himself, had trained her well. Not only did she enter herself in the Newmarket Races one year (scandal!) she also placed a bet on herself as well (the audacity!). The portrait the Prince of Wales commissioned to hang in his London home shows Letitia's talent in the saddle. Her horse rears partially en levade as she sits side-saddle, perfectly balanced in this most challenging of position; a position more difficult for the rider than the horse.

Although financial problems may have forced the Lades to relinquish ownership of some of their prized horses, Letitia lived a fairly happy life. She died in 1825 and was followed years later, by her husband. She stands today as a tartly tamer of beasts!