A man with a pack of greyhounds before a kennel, a landscape beyond, traditionally identified as George Pitt (1751-1828), 2nd Baron Rivers

The greyhounds here have always been identified as belonging to George Pitt, 2nd Baron Rivers, he was an avid huntsman who maintained an impressive pack of racing greyhounds until 1825, when ill health forced him to abandon the sport. Lord Rivers was Jacques-Laurent Agasse’s first and most loyal patron, commissioning numerous portraits of his horses and dogs, as documented in the artist’s account books. Although this painting is not recorded in Agasse’s manuscript records, it nevertheless demonstrates the anatomical precision with which he rendered his animal subjects.

After passing through the notable collection of sporting pictures assembled by H.W. Arthurton, the present painting was acquired by Joseph Early Widener, an American Thoroughbred racehorse breeder and racetrack owner. Born in Philadelphia, Widener successfully managed his family’s transportation and real estate enterprises, steering them through the Great Depression. Alongside his passion for horse racing, he was an avid art collector. His collection at Lynnewood Hall included works by Bellini, Degas, El Greco, Rembrandt, and Van Dyck, among others. In 1942, he donated approximately 2,000 works of art to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.. A number of works remained in the family collection, passing first to his son, Peter Arrell Browne Widener II, and subsequently to his descendants.