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Lustre, held by a Groom

ca. 1762
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Foaled in 1754, Lustre belonged to the second Viscount Bolingbroke (1732-1787), who commissioned at least eight racehorse portraits from Stubbs. Nephew and heir to the first Viscount, a distinguished orator and statesman, the younger Bolingbroke was renowned in the world of breeding and racing, both as owner and gambler. The present work probably marks the moment when Lustre, victorious in 1760, was retired to stud. Stubbs’s description of the relationship between the horse and groom is closely observed: the two are slightly canted, suggesting the bond between them.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lustre, held by a Groom
  • Artist: George Stubbs (British, Liverpool 1724–1806 London)
  • Date: ca. 1762
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 40 1/8 in. × 50 in. (101.9 × 127 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings