Adonis, from: Celebrated Horses

James Ward was one of the most prominent British artists of the early 19th century. In 1794 he was appointed ‘Painter and Engraver in Mezzotint’ to the Prince of Wales, the future King George IV. In the 1820's the King commissioned a series of 14 lithographs of celebrated horses, including Adonis, his late father’s favourite charger. The present print is closely related to a painting, Adonis, King George III's Favorite Charger (sold at Christie’s, New York, 6 December 1996, lot 24). The highly romantic treatment of the horse's wind-tossed mane and tail against the wild backdrop of a stormy sky shows a clear debt to George Stubbs. The previous lot, Stubbs' A Horse Affrighted at a Lion of 1788, provides for a fascinating comparison (see previous lot).