Horses in a meadow

In 1749 Sawrey Gilpin moved to London and became apprenticed to Samuel Scott (c.1702-1772). Although his mentor painted seascapes and architecture, Gilpin prefered painting horses and under the patronage of the Duke of Cumberland was given the opportunity to study horses at Windsor and Newmarket. A critic at the Royal Academy once compared Gilpin to Stubbs in these words: 'Mr. Gilpin is inferior to Mr. Stubbs in anatomical knowledge but is superior to him in grace and genius'. Gilpin mastered the dramatic depiction of equestrian subjects in his favoured medium of watercolour and his works capture the grace and spirit of the animals.